Life

BLUE RIBBON #8

The spoked wheel was a mysterious resident in my scrap box and I had no idea how to use it . . .

 

But I had some fun with alcohol inks on Yupo paper one day and the two pieces seemed made for each other.  As with the Art category, the “Other” category invites a departure from the norm.  So that’s what I did.  The butterfly charm started out in brass, but some copper embossing powder led to a quick metamorphosis . . . which is what butterflies do anyway, right?

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cheddar, Raven, Yupo     

Stamps:       Judikins Origami Background

Inks:             Encore Copper, various alcohol inks

Emb Pwdr:   B’Muse True Gold, True Copper

Dies:            DieNamics Horizontal Stitched Strips, Unknown 

Spoked  Wheel, Memory Box Brilliant Circle Border Outline, InLoveArtShop “Life”            

Doo Dads:    Copper Butterfly     

SOAR

BLUE RIBBON #6

The Art category is a signal to go wild, and I certainly did with this year’s layout . . .

I painted a  twig silver and sewed it with silver thread to a bubbled Tyvek background made from an old mailing pouch.  One side got painted with three colors of Lumiere pearled paint and was then blasted with my heat gun.  The splotchy, bubbled result was just right for this year’s artsy category . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Emperor, Tyvek Mailing Pouch  

Inks:             Lumiere Pearl Turquoise, Pearl Violet, Pearl White

Dies:            Scrapbook.com Slim Nested Rounded Rectangles, 

InLoveArtShop English Letters               

Doo Dads:    Silver painted twig  

So Fun

This version of Jennifer’s pop-up front panel makes the panel look like it’s floating in mid-air . . .

I did use a deckle-edged die to cut out the panel but straight cuts, or decorative scissors, or shredding the edges would look really nice too.  I had a lovely leftover piece from a stenciling session and wanted to center the top panel over it.  Serendipitously, I found that if I used heavyweight cardstock for the folded support cube behind the panel, it would be strong enough to keep the panel suspended right where I wanted it.  For added sturdiness, I have doubled the panel layer.  I absolutely love the floaty look!

FYI:  The bluish strip below the panel is just a shadow from the panel.  It doesn’t look like that IRL . . .

 

Cardstock:   American Crafts Pack Neutrals, Strathmore 

#140 Watercolor   

Stamps:       Impress Cherry Blossom Branch, Purple Daisy 

Sand, Hero “So Fun”

Inks:            Distress Pumice Stone, Peeled Paint

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Spellbinders Small Deckled Mega Rectangles             

Stencil:        Erin Lee Camouflage

Doo Dads:    Pearls Green          

Old Friends

I am still having fun with Shaker cards!  For this one, I wanted to have multiple windows plus a black and white color scheme to really set off the glitter . . .

As the three flowers are separate dies, it was very important to figure out how to position them precisely for die cutting so that the top layer aligned perfectly with the die cut foam layer below.  My solution was to add some typing paper under the top layer when I die cut it.  This gave me an exact template to lay onto the foam.  I then fitted the dies into the paper openings and die cut the foam.  Voila!  Perfect alignment . . .

Of course, using black foam over black cardstock will hide absolutely everything that’s wonky.  Just saying . . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, White, Acetate      

Stamps:       Red Rubber “It takes a long time . . .”

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            Tim Holtz Wildflowers, Waffle Flower Lacy Layers 2                  

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black,  Starform Outline Stickers,                                  Black      

Green!

This card actually functions as a color sampler rather than just a card - hence the rather over-the-top collection of shades . . .

 

I was in Michael’s a few days ago and was floored to find Recollections #110 cardstocks in four-shade collections of the same color.  Obviously I chose green and shared the news of my find with my dear friend Carol who lives a state away from me.  She’s a freak for lime and as this collection contains two shades of it, I thought she’d like to see a sample of them up close and personal, especially with its #110 weight which has not been easy for either of us to get in our countryside locales.

I’m always happy for any excuse to make a card so I’m delighted that this one might also be especially useful for my friend . . .

Cardstock:   Recollections Green Set of four shades, Canson 

Aquarelle #90

Stamps:       Fred Mullett Lavender

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Winsor & Newton Calligraphy

Ink White

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White

Dies:            Marianne Ropes, DieVersions font Noodles: “Green!”            

Emb Fldr:    Spellbinders Blistered

Summer Solstice

Holiday Category – Blue Ribbon #3

I can never stray very far from beading options for my layouts . . .

For the holiday category, I don’t think anyone has ever used the Summer Solstice theme before so I decided to go with it.  Using gold, silver, and copper all on the same card was a first for me and I wasn’t convinced it worked.  Happily, the judges liked it!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Scraps: Rust, Dull Silver, Scrap

Box smooshed green alcohol ink panel   

Stamps:       Rubber Moon Dragonfly Sheet

Inks:             ColorBox Silver, Distress Forest Moss, Gelly Roll Clear

Emb Pwdr:   Stampamania Silver Dollar

Dies:            DieVersions Hint of Lime: “Summer Solstice”

Doo Dads:    Beads, Copper brad, leafy corner punch, pierced edging

on the rust layer done with a dress marker

Peek-A-Boo

Having gotten a most unusual new die, I had to try it out immediately . . .

It’s called “Shutters” but would be more aptly named “Venetian Blinds”, because that’s certainly what they are.  My original inspiration featured an all white card base and frame but perhaps there should be a little more contrast?  I tried that with my next version of this die – check it out this coming Thursday . . .

 Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Neenah Naturals Tan, Brown

Inks:             Distress Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint, Brushed Corduroy,

Tombow #977

Dies:            TEMU Shutters, Impression Obsession Large Frame,

InLoveArtShop Potted Cactus, Kscraft Hanging Pots,

                     Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Tiny Type, Upper              

Palma Arbor

Priscilla was the mother of one of my dearest friends and for many years, she worked as Receptionist for a large cigar manufacturing and distribution company.  One of the perks was permission to take home discontinued cigar boxes and label overruns which her daughter Carol generously shared with me.  The sturdy boxes are great for storing and stacking tons of stamping paraphernalia.  But the cigar bands have been at rest in a shoebox until I could figure out how best to use them . . .

Most of the bands have a large rounded design feature in the center of the strip, so I couldn’t figure out how to put them together for a background.  But after doing some sorting, I found plenty of straight edged strips I could use between those with larger seals in the centers. 

Then I cut a piece of double-sided sticky tape sized to use on a Slimline card, peeled the release paper off one side, and started sticking down the labels.  I purposely left some random spaces with the sticky tape showing.  Then I dusted everything with Gilding Flakes which I burnished for good adherence and then brushed off the excess.  The remaining release paper was pulled off the back and the layer was added to a  Slimline card base.

The words “Palma Arbor” are Latin for “Palm Tree”.  At least, that's what Google says.  Black seemed the best choice as a backing for the opulent art work on the labels, so I went with that. 

My next post will feature an A2 card with cigar labels chosen to fit an elegant color theme of black, white, and gold, so stay tuned!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Cigar Labels, Hanko Echizen Gold       

Dies:            Spellbinders Layered Palm Tree,  DieVersions font

Noodles                  

Doo Dads:    Nuvo Gilding Flakes: Gold, Gelly Roll Clear Star pen

Clear 

Bless

The intricacy of this third stencil from The Peddler’s Pack gave me pause when it came to figuring out how to color it.  But I came up with three happy workarounds I’d love to share with y’all . . .

1. I experimented with putting a 1/8” thick piece of colorless foam against the back of the stencil before topping with the cardstock and placing onto the light box.  The light comes clearly through the foam and the design will be raised higher, due to the resiliency the foam provides.  Pull back just a little on the pressure you apply with the stylus to prevent poking a hole in the cardstock.

2.  Coloring a stenciled image can dent the design somewhat, so I always spread a very lightweight molding paste over the back to fill in the design depressions.  It takes seconds to do this, dries quickly, and the design keeps its shape while I color.

3. My happiest discovery was finding out that Gamsol works on my oil pencils as well as on my Prismas!  The Gamsol smooths out the pencil strokes and when applied with a tortillion, the color is hydrated enough to be easily moved to the edges of the embossing.  It does need to be sprayed with a fixative however to prevent smearing.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore Mixed Media #90    

Colorants:    Walnut Hollow Oil Pencils Black, Dark Brown, Burnt

Umber, Raw Umber, Blue Green, Red, Red Violet,

Red Orange, Orange

Dies:             Pink Fresh Mini Slimline Essential Bundle, TK Online

Celebration Set: Bless           

Stencil:         Dreamweaver Swirly Tree

Doo Dads:    Deco Foil Gel Duo, Golden Light Molding Paste,

Metalix Glitter Moondust    

Rising Sun

Blue Ribbon #8  OTHER category       

Asian themes are among my most favorite styles to work with . . .

On one of my daily dog walking adventures, I found this twig and knew right away that it was going to wind up on a card.  Along with some beads – another favorite embellishment – I wound up with this depiction of the land of the rising sun . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Beckett Candlelight         

Stamps:        Curtis Uyeda Rising Sun, Hero Chinese Newspaper, 

                       Embossing Arts Flying Cranes

Inks:             Hero Black, Vivid Red, Orange, ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:   Stamp ‘n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Doo Dads:    Twig, beads, brass eyelets

Ron & Rachel

I sold my tiny little lake house almost two years ago and got to meet the new owners recently.  After doing extensive renovations and enlargement in order to accommodate grandchildren and guests, they wanted to show me the results.  They are two of the nicest people on the planet and it was an incredible delight to meet them and see the wonderful transformation of my little treasure house.  They’ve invited me to an Open House this month and I thought a special card was in order.  Here’s a look at the presentation box . . .

 

Because of the very dimensional flowers I used on the card, I needed to make a box to house it instead of using an envelope.  The picture shows both the top and the base that I decided to do in a coordinating pattern for added interest.

The Box:

Cardstock:   Tim Holtz Kraft Resist set: two patterns

Dies:            Unknown Tree, Avery Elle Embellish It Flower Die,

Spellbinders Signs of Spring 1 (bird),

Doo Dads:    Brads

The card is a gatefold held closed with a belly band.  The second picture shows the interior which will hold my personal message.  The hearts emerging from the chimney indicate the love all three of us have for the house and I very much hope they will be as happy as I was when living there.

The Card:

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Designer papers    

Stamps:       KaiserCraft Marble

Inks:             Hero Shadow Ink Soft Brown

Dies:            Creative Craft Curvy Gatefold, Memory Box Shaker

Heart, Amuse Gingerbread Tag (inside stitched house),

InLoveArtShop Heart Shapes,

DieVersions Font Noodles,

Emb Fldr:     Taylored Expressions Weathered

Doo Dads:    Queen & Co pearls

Courage

For the Ukrainian card project:

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bon Bon, Raven, Beckett Iceberg, Scrap Black

Stamps:        Stacey Stamps Medallion #2, Starving Artistamps

Positive Words: “Freedom”, “Courage”, “Liberty”

                      Hero Black, VersaFine Vintage Sepia

Doo Dads:    Making Memories Ribbon Charm, Striped grosgrain ribbon   

Be Yourself

 Blue Ribbon #8 and Best In Show pink ribbon!

The beginning of this Slimline-sized layout involved my first ever use of a gel press plate.  The results were interesting and I foresee many more happy hours ahead with this incredible tool!

I got the courage to try this technique after watching several of Jennifer McGuire's videos on the gel press - I highly recommend viewing them . . .

After laying down the initial colors via the plate, I stenciled on the blocks in blue and then stamped some distressed speckles in black.  I'm still adjusting to the Slimline proportions and I must have tried ten different layouts before choosing this one. 

That's all right - just part of the fun!

 

 Cardstock:   Strathmore #90 Mixed Media, Nicole Licorice, Tim Holtz

                     Silver Sparkle, Scrap Purple        

Stamps:       Glitz Distressing, Hero Be Yourself (text and images)

Inks:             Distress Oxide Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, Black Soot,

                     ColorBox Frost White

Emb Pwdr:  Hero White

Dies:            Honey Bee Blanket, Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles,

                     Unknown Tree, Memory Box Tiny Feathers, Punch

                     Bunch Flower    

Stencil:        Dylusions Blocks-small

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents White        

Bloom

Blue Ribbon #6

Embellishing my cards with natural elements always appeals to me . . . 

 

.  . . I pick up all sorts of twigs when I walk my dog Tater and I really love to paint them with a metallic ink which makes them look like intricate twists of metal.  This one goes nicely with the background which was done with a layered stencil.  My card was submitted as part of the Artsy category, so I sort of cut loose with unusual, moody colors. 

 

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pomegranate, Cinder, Strathmore Toned Grey,

                     Ranger Alcohol Ink Cardstock Silver Sparkle    

Stamps:       Pink Fresh Sweet Blooms, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             Memories Soft Stone, Distress Hickory Smoke, Distress

                     Oxide Fired Brick, Aged Mahogany, Mowed Lawn,

                     Twisted Citron, Pilot Marker Silver

Waterclrs:    The Art Spirits Twinkle

Emb Pwdr:  Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Papertrey Ink Mega

                     Gracious Vases, Memory Box Slender Leaves, Technique

                     Tuesday Garden Leaves, Frantic Stamper “Bloom”                   

Stencil:        Pink Fresh Sweet Blooms

Doo Dads:    Silvered twig

Journey

A return to my favorite elements of Khaki, Cream, Black and lots of text . . .

 

After stamping the text background, I cut out the rectangular window and mounted the text layer over some black cardstock.  I had to guess as to where I wanted the window and hindsight tells me I should have positioned it lower than it is.  In order to add weight to the bottom and improve the balance of the layout, I decided to give the vase something to stand on.  It started out to be a flourished strip but since this is a guy card, I snipped off the frou frou, leaving an irregular edge.  I think it worked!

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Nicole Licorice, Scrap Cream       

Stamps:       Hero Friend Definition, KaiserCraft Marble

Inks:             Hero Black, ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:  Stamp-n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Goodculler Stitched

                     Rectangles, Papertrey Ink Mega Gracious Vases,

                     Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms, Frantic Stamper Journey,

                     Gemini Opulent Swirls            

Doo Dads:    Twig, Foamiran, Viva Pearl Pen Cream  

Fleur

Jennifer McGuire recently brought out a wonderful older technique that is perfect to use with the new layered stencils . . .

Dab on VersaMark ink through whatever layer you're using and then dust on Perfect Pearls in the color of your choice.  Repeat this with the other layers of the stencil set.  I used only two colors of Perfect Pearls for this mandala and am happy with the subtle result.  After brushing on the Perfect Pearls, use a soft brush or cloth to lightly whisk away the excess.  Spray with a matte finish fixative when done.  Lighter colors of cardstock can be used but the best effects are achieved with dark papers.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Leapfrog, Nicole Licorice, 2 Cool Colors Dull Silver 

Stamps:       Unknown Fleur

Inks:             VersaMark, ColorBox Silver

Colorants:    Perfect Pearls Pearl, Green Patina

Emb Pwdr:  Delafield Silver

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Memory Box

                     Stitched Rectangle Trimmings,  Spellbinders Tags

                     Trio, Rose          

Stencil:        Altenew Mandala Builder Stencil Set

Doo Dads:    Silver fiber, Mark Richards Stickers Silver