Journey

My wonderful friend Susi absolutely adores dragonflies, so I thought I’d send her a sizeable one . . .

After the sequins on my Christmas cards slipped their moorings, it was Susi who suggested I try Super Glue instead.  So that’s what I’ve used with the six sequins on this card and I’m sending it to her for a trial run.  She lives on the opposite coast, so this card will have ample opportunity to get creamed by the Post Office.  Can’t wait to see if it made it through the gauntlet!

Cardstock:   American Craft Brights: various Blues, AlteNew Milky

Way Glitter Cardstock: Sapphire  

Dies:            Scrapbook Wavy with Dots, Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Tonic Wings and Things, Frantic Stamper 

text “Journey”                 

Create

 Art Category – Blue Ribbon +  a pink Best in Category ribbon!

Splitcoast Stampers featured this Bay Window card design in the Fall of 2023.  I immediately fell in love with it and knew right away that I’d be submitting it to this year’s NJ Fair in 2024 . . .

In the meanwhile, I churned out a tall pile of these and challenged myself in making each one a little different from the others.  I wanted to see if the design was a good one for just about any occasion and any recipient – so that’s why a wide range of celebrants on my A List got them.  Judging from the happy responses I got, I was right!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Wheat, Raven, assorted printed papers from

Basic Grey set Little Black Dress

Stamps:       Stampin Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks:            VersaMark

Emb Pwdr:   Seth Apter Desert

Dies:            FineGood “Scalloped Circle Set”, Memory Box

Breezy Wreath, Sue Wilson Create                  

Old Friends

My friendship with Sandy dates back to when we were in the 7^th grade.  She is a woman of strong faith and gifted me with a collection of thoughts on Christian wisdom she has absorbed over the years.  Lacking basic stationary, she put her message down on a commercial note pad bordered in strips of very happy colors.  So I was inspired to have some fun with color myself . . .

I cut a piece of #60 cardstock to fit onto a Mini Slimline and then covered that with double-sided sticky paper.  I then peeled off the release paper and began laying down strips of colorful scraps I’ve collected over the years.

The butterfly and dragonfly wings were propped up with my favorite trick:  a clear glue dot rolled into a straight piece and then tucked under each wing right next to the body. This will fit easily into an envelope and after mailing, the wings will pop right back up again.

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth, Bazzill Kachina, 

  Vellum, Assorted scraps    

Stamps:       Red Rubber “It Takes a Long Time . . .”, AIP Dotted Snow

Inks:            ColorBox Frost White, Gold

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White, Ranger Gold

Dies:            Studio Calico Nested Rectangles, Paper Smooches Butterfly   Duet, TEMU Dragonfly             

Emb Fldr:   Taylored Expressions Weathered

Be Art

Blue Ribbon #6   Art category 

One of the categories for submission to the NJ Fair’s stamped cards category is ‘Art’.  I figure that gives me license to shake things up a little.  Hence the black, white, and silver rainbow . . .

While I don’t think I’d enjoy living in a world that was completely black and white, such an arrangement does make an interesting statement or two . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Scraps: White, Silver, Black      

Stamps:        Moon Rose Be Art, Stampington Large Clouds

Inks:              ColorBox Silver, Black

Emb Pwdr:   B’Muse Silver, Judikins Detail Black

Dies:             Impression Obsession Sea Birds, DieNamics Rainbow,

Hero Frames with Sprigs (label)             

Journey

More wild and woolly fun with alcohol inks . . .

I found Tim's Ink Blower tool at almost 1/2 off (JoAnn's) so I got it and am glad I did.  The sizeable bulb makes it so much easier to blow alcohol ink around and get it where you want it.  When you like the arrangement, aim your hair dryer at it on its low heat setting and that will dry up the sticky edges of the ink blobs in no time.  Happily, the low heat setting will not curl your Yupo paper . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Hanko Designs Echizen Gold,

                     Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Yupo, Strathmore Ultimate White

Inks:             Adirondack Alcohol Ink Terra Cotta, Butterscotch,

                     Meadow, Jacquard Piñata Brass

Dies:            Spellbinders Victorian Tassels, Ultimate Crafts Drifting

                     Feather, Impression Obsession Vase Set, Frantic Stamper                                  “Journey”                   

Doo Dads:    Sparkle & Sprinkle Fantasy Gold 

From the heart

I'm working on December birthday cards at the moment and while there's usually a tendency to tie into the traditional holiday colors and images,  I always try to fight that.  People whose personal major events are right next to big holidays deserve to avoid getting lost in the shuffle . . .

So for this December birthday card, I used frosty white leaves touched with gold, some Kraft-colored cardstock to ground things, and a winter butterfly in burgundy and gold.  A little burgundy shimmer here and there, and done . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Crimson, Neenah Desert Storm, Strathmore

                           Soft White         

Stamps:        Marianne Banners & Text: “From the heart”

Inks:               VersaMark, Ancient Page Bordeaux

Emb Powder:   Ranger Fine Gold, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Sheena Geometric Cutout, DieNamics Falling Leaves,

                           Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Elizabeth Small

                           Butterfly, Marianne Banners & Text 

Doo Dads:    The Art Institute Glitter Burgundy  

Love, Hope, Blessings

One of our tenants is moving on and as he took immaculate care of the place, we're sorry to be losing him.  Here's a little kindness to let him know he'll be missed . . .

If you've been following my blog for even just a week, it should be abundantly clear by now that texture is totally the name of my game.  Whether it is stamped, embossed, or added in the form of embellishments, I cannot resist bumping things up a bit and having something wonderful to run over with my fingers.

One of my favorite ways to add texture is shown on the cream layer (as well as with the words):  I've edged it with VersaMark and then dipped the edges into Ranger's Gold embossing powder.  That stuff is amazing!  While I frequently like the look of smooth embossing powder, it can get predictable and therefore boring.  Enter Ranger's gold powder, which cures to a grainy and pebbled finish.  The look is just awesome, especially on images that are larger and more solid.

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Beckett Moonlight, Generic Brown

Stamps:        MJ Barber Chevron Open, Fred Mullett Wild Ginger, Red

                           Rubber “Blessings”, Making Memories “Love”, “Hope”

Inks:               Gina K Charcoal Brown, Distress Brushed Corduroy,

                           Peeled Paint

Emb Powder:  Ranger Gold, Stampendous Shabby White

Dies:              Spellbinders A2 Distressed Edges                      

Emb Folder: Taylored Impressions Weathered

It's Your Day

Always in the market for a great guy card, this one would seem to fill the bill . . .

After lightly stoking the rust background with a bleach-soaked rag, it was heat-dried and then stamped and embossed.  Because of the great and mysterious variety of finishes, you never know what you're going to get when you bleach cardstock, so always try out a sample first.  The results on this one looked like beautiful, hand-rubbed wood to me and I thought it suited the theme perfectly.

Cardstock:   Generic Speckled Rust, Black                 

Stamps:        Stacy Wood Name Background, Art Impressions

                           Wispy Background, Stampin' Up "It's your day!"

Inks:               ColorBox Black

Emb Powder:   Judikins Detail Black

Punches:      Family Treasures Scalloped Rectangle, EK Success

                           Bare Tree  

Doo Dads:    Bleach, 1/8" Black satin ribbon, Rust Clipiola, Marvy Silver 

                         Just Glitter marker

Fleur

When I was growing up, mixing patterns was an absolute no-no.  Anyone doing that would have been sitting by herself in the cafeteria.  Thankfully, pattern mixing has become a whole new art form . . .

Success with pattern mixing involves the use of color, design compatibility, and pattern scale.  I have found that leaves or flowers mixed with stripes usually works well, and if you're initially a little timid, use a monochromatic color scheme to unify the patterns.  It's fun – give it a try!

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 Powder:            Judikins White Diamonds

Dies:                          DieNamics Wavy Banners, Prima Donna 

                                       Petals

Doo Dads:                Gathered Silver net ribbon, Silver glitter   

A Day to Celebrate

Here's another example of a bright idea that looked great in my head, but the reality came out vastly different . . .

My plan was to stamp an all-over image in VersaMark and then randomly overstamp it with my favorite splotchy image inked with a few bright colors.  I'd forgotten that die inks will never reproduce well over colored cardstock.  So my next attempts will be done on white or cream cardstock.  Stay tuned . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos #110 Jute, Bazzill Purple

Stamps:        Judikins Esponge Background, Alias Smith & Rowe

                           Flowers/Swirls Background, Art Impressions

                           Background #2, Hero Day to Celebrate

Inks:               VersaMark, Hero Black, Brilliance Sunflower Yellow,

                           Victorian Violet, VersaColor Baby Blue, ColorBox Black

Emb Powder:   B’Muse Monterey Blue, Deep Indigo, Brilliant Yellow,

                                UTEE Black, Judikins Metallic Bronze, Detail Black,
                                 Stampendous Pearl Lustre Emerald, Amethyst

Dies:              Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Simon Says Fresh Daisies,

                           DieNamics Labels and Tabs, Memory Box Cascadia
                           Butterfly Trio

Watercolors:   Inktense Pencils Iris Blue, Sicilian Yellow, Apple Green,

                              Dark Purple

Doo Dads:    Gold cording

A Day to Celebrate

A blog-inspired idea for emphasizing texture . . .

I first die cut the panel and sponged it with the three different colors.  After heat drying, I used an embossing folder to add an all-over raised design.  Then I sponged on more of the same three colors.  This darkened the raised design and I got a lovely pattern that gave texture without overwhelming the final layout.  Pretty easy!

 

Cardstock:   Champion Snow Day, Strathmore Bright White, Generic

                           Swirl-printed vellum

Stamps:        Hero “A Day to Celebrate”, Savvy Dotted Background

Inks:               Distress Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Faded Jeans,

                           Chipped Sapphire, ColorBox Frost White, Wink of Stella

                           Clear, Ultimate Glitter Gel Silver

Emb Powder:   Sweet Stamps Fine Detail White

Dies:              Memory Box Poinsettia Ribbon, Grosgrain Ribbons,

                           Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles, Joy Butterflies

Emb Folder: QuicKutz Sketchbook     

Doo Dads:    Liquitex Gesso White, Oriental Trading enamel dots Green

The Best

Here's a peaceful little composition which uses my current favorite background:  Copic markers scribbled on vellum and sprayed with alcohol . . .

 This time, I didn't back the vellum with white cardstock – an idea I've used before to make the colors pop.  Here, I wanted a little of the chicken wire background to show through and add some subtle texture.  I hope the camera was kind enough to let that happen . . .

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore Soft White, #90 Watercolor paper,

                           Stampin’ Up Vellum White

Stamps:        Unity Chicken Wire, Starving Artistamps Daisy, Simon Says

                           Tilted Banner Sayings: “Wishing you the best”

Inks:               Papertrey Ink Fresh Snow, ColorBox Frost White, Distress

                           Brushed Corduroy, Old Paper, Ancient Page Plum Wine

Markers:        Copic V09 Violet, YG67 Moss, Y17 Golden Yellow

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Frantic Stamper Fancy Frames #1, Tim Holtz Fall Foliage,

                           Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Impression Obsession

                           Banners & Tails

Doo Dads:    Distress Clear Rock Candy

A Fabulous Day

Time for a little black, white, and silver glamour . . .

To keep the seed bead necklace from flopping about, I put a dab of glue under the center bead . . . the other beads will still provide a little appealing movement but the necklace is not likely to catch on a fingernail or envelope flap.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore Bright White, Generic Black

Stamps:        My Favorite Things Diagonal Stripes, text from Papertrey

                           Ink Dress Form

Inks:               Hero Black, ColorBox Silver

Emb Powder:   Delafield Silver

Dies:              Spellbinders Radiant Rectangles, Papertrey Ink Dress Form,

                           Nellie Snellen Straight Oval

Doo Dads:    Seed beads Silver, Martha Stewart Glitter Onyx

Love You

Still having fun with Copics, vellum, and alcohol misting . . .

If you're new to my blog and have missed previous postings on this technique, simply use a few colors of Copic markers to scribble on a piece of vellum cut to size.  Then mist once or twice with alcohol.  Leave to dry or move some of the colors around with a soft brush.  Done!  Glue to a piece of white cardstock in order to make the colors pop.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Brandywine, Generic Fiber print vellum

Stamps:        Stamp’s in the Mail Wild Bunch, Stampin’ Up Itty Bitty

                           Banners

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Ancient Page Redwood

Markers:        Copic E57 Light Walnut, R56 Currant, RV14 Begonia Pink,

                           RV21 Light Pink

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, Stampin’ Up Itty Bitty

                           Banners, Impression Obsession Medium Butterflies

Doo Dads:    American Crafts Jute Pink

Winter

My niece gifted me with a wonderful image of an evergreen tree this last Christmas and I really loved its peaceful look . . .

 . . . it's well suited for the sympathy card this became. 

I recently got a terrific deal on a set of hinge dies from a favorite company that, sadly, has gone out of business.  I love the look of hinges and as this set has five different styles, you'll be seeing a lot of them in future.  Fair warning . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm

Stamps:        Hero Winter Evergreen, Stampin’ Up “Winter”

Inks:               VersaFine Olympia Green

Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Avery Elle Wonky Stitches, Elizabeth Hardware 1:

                           Hinges, Tim Holtz Labels

Emb Folder: Sheena Snowfall   

Doo Dads:    Bazzill brads Green, Gelly Roll Clear Star

Happy!

Full Disclosure:  this is quite possibly the ugliest card I have ever made . . .

When I started this blog, I decided to be up front with all of my attempts – warts and all. So here's my latest wart.  My usual method of dealing with layouts that just aren't going well is to just keep stumbling along . . . the theory being that maybe I'll get lucky and find some clever doo dad or technique that will lift me out of the hole I've dug myself into.

Didn't happen this time.  But I DID find something new to try that saved this layout from being a 100% failure.  The stencil work done in the lower half was done by spraying the stencil – not the cardstock – and then laying it down over the cardstock.  The results are imprecise and work well when you want a less rigid, more random look.

And now I'm signing off – I cannot bear to look at this thing any longer.  Better luck next time!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Santillo, The Paper Cut White Matte Coat,

                           Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Hero To/From Petals

Inks:               Adirondack Color Wash Terra Cotta, Stamp Zia Chroma

                           Sprays Moss, Citron, Lava, ColorBox Frost White, Distress

                           Peeled Paint

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, McGill punch

                           Starburst

Stencil:          The Crafter’s Workshop Mini Chevron Tiles

Doo Dads:    White brad, USArt Quest Effectz Gold Essence

Wishing You the Best

I can't stay away from the fun of using Copics on vellum and then spritzing with an alcohol mist . . .

 . . . there will be numerous posts on this technique, so get ready.  If you've missed the simple technique I posted earlier, here it is:

1. Use two or three Copic markers and scribble on vellum. Overlap the edges

         to prevent straight lines.

2. Mist with two or three spritzes of alcohol.

3. Let dry, or dab with a brush to soften.

So simple, and hard to screw up!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Simon, The Paper Cut White Matte Coat, Stampin’

                           Up Vellum White

Stamps:        Hero Wildflower Garden, Simon Says Tilted Banner Sayings

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Ancient Page Deep Harbor, Distress

                           Brushed Corduroy

Markers:        Copic E37 Sepia, B26 Cobalt Blue, BG13 Mint Green

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              Memory Box Fresh Daisies, Simon Says Stitched Mats

                           Rectangles, Tilted Banners

Happy Day

I've always loved strong colors paired with white . . .

 This layout features my new discovery with stencils:  the conventional way involves laying down the stencil over the cardstock and then spraying or sponging on the color through the openings.  This time, I prepared the background with two colors sprayed on and dried.  Then I sprayed the stencil with the third color and laid it down over the prepared cardstock.  Am very happy with the random and imprecise look!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Santillo, Champion Snow Day, The Paper Cut

                           watercolor paper, White Matte Coat

Stamps:        Hero Etched Flower with Stems

Inks:               Adirondack Color Wash Butterscotch, Terra Cotta, Pesto,

                           ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, Simon Says

                           “Oh Happy Day”

Stencil:          The Crafter’s Workshop Mini Chevron Tiles

Doo Dads:    Tulip Hot Fix Jewels