Thinking of You

While I loved the silky textures on the pale Washi papers that my friend Carol recently gifted me with, I wondered what could be done with the colors, as I am generally not a pastel person.  So, Direct-To-Paper to the rescue!  After smudging away with various colors, I spritzed with my Perfect Pearls and water mister (a la Jennifer McGuire!) and used the heat gun to speed up the drying.  The result is a still-textured piece of background paper with a lovely shimmer that the camera doesn’t pick up.  You'll just have to trust me on this.  Next time, I’ll try this with Distress inks so that I can have even more fun with color migration.

Double-layered flying creatures really make a lovely statement . . . the secret to their success is to cram a teensy weensy piece of glue-backed foam under the wings and right next to the body.  Do this for both layers and the wings will truly survive their imprisonment in an envelope along with whatever the post office does to them.

Cardstock:     Oyster Bazzill, Plain Washi paper, Printed Washi Paper, re-purposed Gold paper  shopping bag (great color and weight, and the price was right!)

Stamps:        “Thinking of you” & “Get Well Soon” [unknown]

Inks:                EK Success American Girl Pink, Salmon, Yellow, Green, Purple, ColorBox Gold, Gold mister (Perfect Pearls and water), Gold marker

Emb Powder:   Ranger’s Gold

Dies/Punches: Butterfly, Cheery Lynn Large Window Frame, Spellbinders Large Label

Doo Dads:       Gold sticker dots, Gold pearls

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Top O’ the Mornin’ to Ye!  And the afternoon and evening as well!  Look out for the Leprechauns and keep your eyes open for that lovely pot of gold:  you’ll need it in order to buy gas this summer, if all of the dire predictions turn out to be correct. 
I think I’ll just stay home and stamp . . .

Cardstock:     White Bazzill, generic Kelly Green, Iceberg Beckett

Stamps:         Creative Catalyst Tweed Border, Mesh brayer, PSX Shamrock; Outlines Bits &     Pieces Collection #6 “Seeds”, Studio G [March 17]

Inks:              ColorBox Black, Copic G07, Silver marker

Emb Powder:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies/Punches: Spellbinders Grommet Tag, 1.5” scalloped square, office hole punch                  

Emb Folder:     Cuttlebug Victoria

Doo Dads:        Green grosgrain shamrock ribbon, crystal

An Elegant Corset

Although I have limited use for images of ladies in their underwear, I thought this elegant lady  was perfect for a try at a turn-of-the-century card.  I do believe she’s gone at least one better than Scarlett O’Hara’s famous 17 inch waist – she’ll probably be able to keep on breathing as long as she doesn’t move across the room too quickly.  Anything more athletic than that is obviously out of the question . . .

This is a throwback of a card for sure . . . no heat embossing, no punches or die cuts, and no embossing folders – just straight and simple stamping with a few gewgaws for embellishment.

It’s good to remember our roots and get back to basics on occasion, yes?

Cardstock:     Bazzill Black, Marcos Kraft, Beckett Candlelight, generic Parchment      

Stamps:        Treasure Cay’s Woman in Corset, Rubber Baby’s Rule,

                          Above the Mark’s Women’s Patterns

Inks:               Archival Jet Black

Doo Dads:      Ecru lace, wooden/glass bead fringe, Black stitched Brown bow

Butterfly Trio

This card shows one of my rare forays into the use of pre-printed papers.  Using non-stamped papers always feels like cheating to me, but there’s no denying that they are gorgeous to the max.  There are many lovely collections available and those that come in the 6” size seem to be the best ones for cardmaking as the designs are usually scaled down to card size.  I’ve recently bought a couple of packs on sale to play with and I suppose it won’t be long before I’m squandering my shekels and stuffing my stash with these too.  Sigh . . .

Cardstock:     Black Bazzill, Beckett Candlelight, Black/White printed paper

Stamps:          Hero’s Envelope Pattern, Heartfelt Creation’s Elegant Word Script, Lost Coast’s   Happy Birthday

Inks:                ColorBox Sky Grey, Distress Black Soot

Embossing Powder: Judikins Detail Black

Dies/Punches:  Joy Butterflies, Spellbinders Ribbon Tags Trio       

Doo Dads:       Black pearls, Black & Cream twill ribbon (from the dollar store – YAY!)          

Weaving with Paper

One of the brightest ideas I’ve ever been smart enough to put into practice has been my Background Box, AKA: “BB”.  BB has rescued me more times than I can count:  her coffers are full of sizable scraps left over from previous projects and they have served as great inspiration and starting points when my oft-cantankerous Muse has up and left me for the time being.  She’s a wily witch, that one, and frequently needs to be coaxed back into my playroom.  BB has won her over more times than I can count and I am grateful.  When the well has run dry, I rummage through the box and never fail to find something that gets my creative juices flowing once again.

My good friend BB produced all of the scraps that wound up in the weaving on this card.  And for more information, I am excited to announce that the Summer 2012 issue of Rubber Stamp Madness will be carrying my first published article, tentatively titled “Weaving with Stamped Papers”.  I hope you will pick up a copy and check it out for further details . . .

Cardstock:     Generic Teal, Bazzill White, plus assorted scraps

Stamps:          Mesh brayer, Journey [unknown]

Inks:               Assorted

Emb Powder:   Copper

Dies/Punches:           Butterfly, 1½” Scalloped Square

Dry Embossing:         Corrugator      

Doo Dads:       Gold mini beads, brass paper clip twisted into antennae     

Your Prerogatives

As a Guest Artist for 100 Proof Press two years ago, I was quite happy to have ten of my cards posted on their site for a two month period.  They are always looking for Guest Artists who wouldn’t mind acquiring a little more than the usual 15 minutes of fame – a two month posting of one's work is a generous deal indeed.  Go to their website (100proofpress.com), click on the Gallery, and find out the easy details.

Today's card features one of the ten posted during my Guest stint at 100 PP.   If nothing else, the images below make me awfully glad that the formerly voluminous workout clothing has been pared down – although we do seem to have gone to the other extreme.  Some workout gear does give a new interpretation to the “Less is More” theory!

Cardstock:    Navy Bazzill, Wausau Firecracker Red, Beckett Iceberg      

Stamps:        All are from 100 Proof Press:  Millie Barbells Up, Millie Barbells Out, Moiré Rectangle  Large, Left Flourish, Right Flourish, Circle of Dots, “Exercise Your Prerogatives”.

Inks:             ColorBox White Frost, VersaFine Majestic Blue

Embossing Powder:   VIP’s Transcendence, Judikins Opaque White

Dies/Punches:           Sizzix Large Jelly Frame, EK Success Arrows               

Embossing Folder:     Cuttlebug Distressed Stripes 

Doo Dads:     White brads, Red floss

Come Play With Me!

The stamping club I belong to is called the “High Noon Club” because that’s exactly when we meet – at noon on Sundays in alternate months.  We take over the corner table in a wonderful  Chinese restaurant and the indulgent owner lets us stay as long as we like.  I think we provide free entertainment for the other patrons.  There are only seven of us and our very informal get-togethers (it’s really a stretch to call them “Meetings”) consist mainly of Show and Tell, great food, and lots of laughter.  All of us have had the fun of finding our work in several magazines, two-and-a-half of us are published writers (my first article comes out this Summer!), two of us have done national ads for stamp companies, three of us have been the cover artists for Rubber Stamp Madness, and lucky for us all, one of our group is actually the owner of a rubber stamping store!  OMG:  talk about enabling.  Surely the multitude of fortune cookies we’ve cracked open over the years has worked in our favor!

The card below was my submission for the “Pets” theme we had one month.  It was one of my first forays into the world of neon color and I spent most of my time squinting while working on it.  I kept trying to find a way to tone it down until I finally threw in the towel, added Black cardstock to the mix, and decided that it was better to emphasize the color instead of backing away from it.  I did the same card in Loud Lime, Yellow Fever, and Shriek Pink – all of which caused my worktable to vibrate.  I’m serious!  But I had fun anyway . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Black, generic Neon Orange, Lustro Dull White

Stamps:       Art Impressions’ “Play”, Stamp Cabana’s Schnauzer, River City’s Paw, Stampin’ Up’s Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White, Black

Emb Pwder: Judikins Opaque White, Detail Black                

Doo Dads:      Orange brads