Art Creations Friday Challenge # 2

This friday's challenge from Art Creations http://artcreationsfriday.blogspot.com/ was to use a background painted by Vintage Wil. This is her background:

It is very pretty because there are other tints of colors in the background and I happen to have a fondness for grey although I don't use it alot in my cards. I consider it another great neutral.

Here is my card made from the background:

Recipe:

1. I started with a mask that I just purchased from Tim Holtz that I have been wanting to use. I laid it along the side of the paper. I sponged over it with the teal ink.
2. Ink the bird in the branches stamp with versamark and stamp next to the masked border and the bottom left corner. Heat emboss with copper metallic embossing powder.
3. Stamp the flourish on the top right and left side with versamark. Heat emboss using green embossing powder.
4. I also purchased a mask from Heidi Grace at the same time. I placed a portion of that in the top left corner and sponged over it with the same teal ink.
5. I placed the same floral mask on the bottom and inked over that. Sponge teal around the outside edges.
6. Stamp the sentiment in the middle on the bottom half of the card using teal ink.
7. Tie twine around and use button in the knot. Add two more buttons on either side.

Products:

• Ranger Distress Ink - Pine Needle
• Penny Black - Natures Dance
• Verses Rubber Stamps - Apache Blessing
• Tim Holtz - Borderline Mask
• Heidi Swapp - Mask Floral
• Judikins Metallic Copper Embossing Powder
• Ranger Embossing Powder - Lettuce
• Versmark Watermark Ink
  

Thanks for stopping by...

Last Minute Gifts

This is another entry in the Hero Arts weekly challenge for last minute gifts. The idea came from my daughter Kaeli. She liked when I was paper piecing the Snowman's hat a couple of weeks ago and she said you should make some other outfits. This idea has been percolating and when the challenge was last minute gifts I decided to make a stamped version of paper dolls.

This is the front of the little gift. What you can't see is the Cats are in a little acetate pouch on the front. So they have a storage compartment. They don't have any clothes on right now.



The inside is where all the clothes, accessories, hats and scarves are stored. I attached 2 sheets of acetate.



Here are the young ladies with two of the frocks on...

A couple of fun things...

• There are extra eyes so they can switch the eye color.
• The gems, pearls are for necklaces and bracelets.
• Use repositionable tape from Kokuyo to attach the paper products to the acetate.
• The cats are made from glossy cardstock.
• The cats need a dab of repositionable tape on them to assist in sticking the outfits.
• Included is the white version of each piece to allow them to use as a template/color in their own version.
• There is extra space on the dresses area to add more items.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Dancing Cat
• Hero Arts - Cap and Scarf Penguin
• Hero Arts - Lace
• The Paper Loft - Grandma's House, GH108- Herb Garden/Annie's Apron
• Basic Grey
• October Afternoon

This was a lot of fun to create... thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

Suzz

KWerner Color Challenge # 32

Kristina's colors this week are inspired from a christmas picture in a catalogue. The link to her challenge: http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2008/11/color-inspiration-32.html

The colors are:

She did allow for the Sahara Sand to be substituted with a metallic color.

This is similar to another card I made a long time ago. The stamps on this is the Hero Arts 12" clear stamp. When I first saw the stamp I knew I wanted to make a wreath from the berries and branches stamp.

Products:

• Versamark Watermark Ink
• Memento - Rhubarb Stalk (I love that name)
• Hero Arts - Branch & Leaf Long Borders
• Judikins Copper Embossing Powder
• Ribbon FX - Hobby Lobby
• K&CO Gems
• Penny Black - Joy, Hope...
• Bazzil Christmas Paper

The best part about making the challenge cards, is I keep adding to my pile to send out for our Christmas cards. Everyone is going to get a unique card this year if I keep this up!

Thanks for stopping by..

Suzz

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone... This is a time for family and thankfulness. I am very thankful for my family and friends.

I was just going to post my entry for this weeks Hero Arts challenge and went to pull the link forgetting that today they announce the winners from last week challenge. Much to my surprise I won first place for last weeks challenge! Yeah! Something else to be thankful for today.

This weeks Hero Arts challenge http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/2008/11/24/a-mouthwatering-monday-with-the-web-artists/ is last minute gifts. This card started to come together as a gift card holder or money holder.

This is the full card put together:

This is the card with the inside tag pulled slightly out and with the gift card peaking out.

Here is a picture with both pieces together to show how they look individually.

Recipe:

Outside Card

1. Cut white cardstock 6 3/4" x 4 3/4". Ink Script Stamp with Antique Linen and stamp across 1/2 of the white cardstock.
2. Cut white cardstock 6 3/4" x 3 1/2". Cut patterned paper 6 3/4" x 3 1/2". Ink Flourishes stamp with Milled Lavender and stamp on patterned paper. Attach the patterned paper to the white cardstock.
3. Cut olive green carsdtock 1" x 6 3/4". Cut white cardsotck 1" x 6 3/4". Ink lace stamp using Versafine Vintage Sepia and stamp along edge of white cardstock. Cut out edge of lace.
4. Attach olive green cardstock to top of the patterned paper. Pop Up lace border and attach to center of olive green strip.
5. Cut out 2 1/2" Oval Scalloped Nestability from white cardstock. Emboss edges. Stamp vines and sentiment using light green ink onto scalloped oval cardstock. Lay the acrylic block over the oval. Line up the clear branches and leaves stamp to arrange it in an oval position. After I inked it I wiped off some of the ends to limit the length they ran around the sides of the oval. Ink the dove with the sepia and stamp in the nest of branches and leaves. Sponge the edges of the scallop with brown ink.
6. Attach the oval to the center of the lace.
7. Attach the patterned paper section to the script background. Apply tape around the bottom edge and sides.

Inside Tag:

1. Cut olive green carsdtock 6" x 4 1/2". Punch the doily lace border along one edge.
2. Cut white cardstock 3 1/2" x 5 3/4". Ink flourishes with light lavendar and stamp on white cardstock. Attach flourish background to bottom edge and centered on green cardstock.
3. Cut olive green cardstock 5 3/4" x 2 1/2". Punch border using cornice border punch.
4. Cut patterned paper 5 3/4" x 1 1/4". Ink flourishes with light lavender and stamp on patterned paper.
5. C
6. Cut 3 1/4" x 2 1/2" scalloped rectangle from white cardstock. Stamp sentiment and branches and leaves using light green ink. Sponge edges with brown ink.
7. Attach patterned paper to green cardstock. Attach bottom half of scallop to patterned paper and green cardstock.
8. Attach the green cornice piece only taping around the bottom edges and the side. this forms your inside pocket for gift card or money.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Lace (Stamp set)
• Hero Arts - Sparkle Clear - Hello Birdie
• Hero Arts - DesignBlock Flourish
• Hero Arts - Clear Design - Classic Christmas Borders
• Hero Arts - Old French Writing
• Hero Arts - Sparkle Clear - Holiday Messages
• Hero Arts - Pearls
• BasicGrey - Wassail - Sleigh Ride
• Memento - New Sprout, Rich Cocoa
• Versafine - Vintage Sepia
• Ranger Distress Inks - Milled Lavender, Antique Linen
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Scalloped Rectangle, Scalloped Oval

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kissing Stamps

Over at 2 Peas they are having weekly stamp camps... This week Kristina Werner shared the kissing technique. Here is the link: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2697145

I have always done the kissing of stamps by applying the ink to the stamp and using another stamp to remove the ink. She showed how to use acrylic stamps and applying the ink and stamping it on the paper and then applying ink to another stamp and laying the original stamp on top of the inked stamp and than stamping that over the original image. This is something I had never tried before. I have very few solid images so it was a challenge to find stamps that I could use to play with this.

I ended up making 2 cards for the challenge/class. The first card is not my typical genre of cardmaking and I am not sure if I did the birds justice. I used this bueatiful lace flower stamp from Hero Arts as my kissing stamp. The birds are an clear stamp and I used the technique described by Kristina to create the birds. The red ink is Versafine Crimson Red. The birds definitely look more pink than red. The ink used for the lace is Versafine Vintage Sepia. I wanted to use the pigment ink to get the crispest image possible. The color scheme I think was a challenge on SCS not too long ago and I also recieved an ad for a bedding set which was really pretty using red and grey with brown furniture.

The second card was made by applying the ink to a rubber stamp and using the lace stamp to remove the ink. The picture doesn't do it justice. The lace actually was very pretty on the flower. The flower was stamped using Versacolor Pink Opera.

The background was stamped with the Versafine Vintage Sepia. The button actually has a dandelion stamped on it using StazOn Timber Brown. I have this new vine ribbon which I am very enamored of and I used that for the stem on the flower.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Old French Writing
• Hero Arts - Bold Pop Flower
• Hero Arts - Lace Flower Cluster
• StazOn Timber Brown
• Memento - Rich Cocoa
• Maya Road- Ribbon (Vine)
• Hero Arts - Dandelion
• Versacolor - Pink Opera
• Versafine - Crimson Red
• Hero Arts - Lace
• Versafine - Smokey Grey
• Inkandinkado - Dawn Houser (Dream)
• The Artful Stamper (Berry Branch)
• Clear Stamps - Paper Studio - Birds & Blooms
• Stampabilities - Vintage Flourish 02

Thanks for dropping in...

Vintage Friday Challenge

I had been asked by Jacqueline if I had ever used vintage pictures in my cards. I have never tried it before but after I visited Deborah's blog: http://cardsandthings.blogspot.com/
and she had posted that she had participated in a challenge on this blog: http://artcreationsfriday.blogspot.com/2008/11/challenge-1.html which features vintage pictures with a weekly challenge.


I decided that this picture was beautiful and I was inspired to make this card:

This was the easiest card I have made in awhile... I stamped the background with a damask stamp using the Antique Linen Ranger Distress Ink. The sentiment was stamped with versamark and embossed. I think that using the image was fun and I will have to keep this in mine as it adds a different dimension.

Thanks for stopping by...

Mirroring a background...

I was playing around with a cuttle bug background and decided to brayer it onto another piece of paper. Here are the two cards I produced from the one background.

I started with a larger piece of the cuttlebug embossed background which you can see behind the sentiment.

The background behind the butterflies is a stamped image of the cuttlebug folder. I have been playing around with this and if I get my other pieces onto a card I will share them. The cuttlebug embossing folders with the more solid images give a prettier stamped image. They never come out crisp so you have to be willing to enjoy a more batik/watercolor like impression.

Recipe for the backgrounds:

1. Emboss a sheet of watercolor paper using the cuttlebug embossing folder. The sheet in my background was 4 1/2" x 8". I embossed from both directions.
2. Sponge multiple colors on the embossing.
3. Spritz the embossed and inked watercolor paper until it is moist. If it is too moist your image will smear and be a blob of color.
4. Lay a piece of white cardstock on the embossed image. Brayer the white paper on the embossing. Lift the paper off and you should have an inked image similar to the embossed image.
5. You have 2 backgrounds to use on your cards.
6. The watercolor image will be very faint. On my background I used versamark all over the watercolor background and heat embossed using clear embossing powder. This will give the background a glazed appearance and it will increase the intensity of the colors.

Other tips for Card # 1:

1. The stamped leaves are inked with the green and blue ink. Start with the lighter color and ink the entire image. Using the darker color randomly dab on the inked stamp.
2. Stamp the inked leaves onto the cardstock and stamp again for lighter images.

Other tips for Card # 2:

1. Butterflies were made from glimmer mist mix of red and yellow. They were die cut from Spellbinders Dies. They were stamped with StazOn Royal Purple and they were covered in clear embossing powder as well.
2. The flowers and the sentiment were stamped over the clear embossing using StazOn Royal Purple.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Flourish Flower
• Hero Arts - Thank You Note
• Hero Arts - Designer Posy Borders
• Hero Arts - Artistic Branches
• Hero Arts - Sandras Letter Background
• Hero Arts - Lupine
• Hero Arts Clear Design - Anytime Messages
• Inkadinkado - 95972-K
• Ranger Distress Inks - Peeled Paint, Broken China
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Floral Screen
• Kaisers Pearls
• Spellbinders - Butterflies 2
• Versamark Watermark Ink
• StazOn Royal Purple
• Tattered Angels - Lemon Zest, Red

Thanks for stopping by...

Scraps week at HA

This weeks challenge for Hero Arts http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/2008/11/17/giving-thanks/ is to use up scraps making thankful cards. I like this as I have a expandable folder with my stamping scraps. Basically anything I create and get stuck on a design I put in this folder.

I started with this piece of faux metal that was created for another challenge.


Recipe:

1. Start with a 4 x 6 inch piece of white cardstock.
2. Versamark the entire surface. Cover with the Copper Embossing powder. Heat Emboss.
3. Repeat 4 times. The embossing powder I used was Judikens and is thicker which provides a nice thickness to embed your image.
4. Versamark your stamp to prevent if from sticking in the embossing powder.
5. Heat up the embossed surface until the embossing powder is liquid.
6. Stamp image into embossing powder. Leave stamp in the melted embossing powder for 30 seconds until it cools.

Helpful Hints: I had issues with this piece as it was larger and needed to be kept flat. So I tried mounting it on my card which caused it to crack and then I heated it a little aftewards to remove the cracks which caused me to lose definition of my image in areas. So after you finish while it is still flexible make sure to put something on it to keep it flat.

Products:

• Hero Arts DesignBlock Birds & Swirls
• Hero Arts Sparkle Design Anytime Messages
• Versamark
• Judikins Copper Embossing Powder
• K&Co Gems
• Paper Studio Lace Trim

Thanks for looking...

Kwerner Color Challenge 31

I decided to play along on Kristana Werner's Color Challenge # 31: http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2008/11/color-inspiration-31.html .

These colors are lovely together. They remind me of fall. Kristina's inspiration was a wreath with berries and vines.

Products:

• Memento - Rich Cocoa
• Adirondacks Brights - Sunset Orange
• StazOn - Royal Purple
• Versafine - Sepia
• Hero Arts Sparkle Design - Anytime Messages
• Hero Arts - Dandelion
• Stampabilities - Wild Flowers, Floral Stem
• Crystal Stickers Pearls - Colored with Sharpie
• Ribbon Unknown
• Paper Studio - Lace Trim
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Scalloped Oval
  

Thanks for Looking..

Something Elegant in lavender...

I made this the other day after distressing.. I like to switch gears and do something completely different. My goal was elegant and something in a non-traditional colors... We used to have an extraordinary amount of anniversary cards to send out.


I always panic when an anniversary rolls around and I like to make some backup cards to have on hand..

This card started from a new inkpad I purchased called Milled Lavender. This is a distress ink from Ranger. I hadn't tried it but I knew it was a very muted purple. This drew me to a cream cardstock to see if I could emulate the vintage feel of lace and purple dried lavender.

Products:

• Martha Stewart Doily Border Punch
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Just My Type
• Kaiser - Pearls
• Hero Arts - C4594 Pod Branches
• Inkadinkado Clear Stamps - 97892 Wedding / Marriage
• Ranger Distress Ink - Milled Lavender
• StazOn - Royal Purple
• Ribbon - Unknown
• Marvy Uchida Oval Punch

Toodles...

Two similar but different cards....

Have you ever had a card you wouldn't give up on? Well.... my first card I am sharing I made 4 variations of it. :( I spent way too much time on that first card. I ended up using some of the same elements and made my second card.

I am curious if anyone else out there does the same thing... Usually I will keep the elements if it isn't coming together and put them in a scrap pile of pieces I like that I want to go back to someday...

Tell me if you like card # 1:

or card # 2... :)

The recipes are very simple and I won't go into the details. The corner circle was cut using a fiskars circle templates. They come in a set with multiple circles and I used the circle cutter.

Products: (for both cards)

• Hero Arts - C4594 Pod Branches
• Hero Arts - F4827 Scroll Tree
• Hero Arts Clear Design - Happiness Messages
• Hero Arts - Bird in a Cage
• Memento - Rich Cocoa
• StazOn - Timber Brown
• Hero Arts - Pearls
• Crystal Stickers - Pearls
• Lace - JoAnn's
• Versamark Watermark Ink
• Pink Embossing Powder
• Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Circle
• Marvy Uchida Circle Punch
• Fiskars Circle Templates, Fiskars Circle Cutter
• Fiskars Threading Water Punch
  

I also made something elegant to share tomorrow... Unfortunately I am off to do my second calendar page.. Arghh... This will probably take me a couple of days... Thanks for dropping by..

Nature prints...

I have been playing with leaves. I was walking my daughter home from the bus and some beautiful yellow leaves were laying on the ground. We picked up 4 or 5 and she thought it was great fun.

I decided to stamp my leaves. Here are some pictures of my experience.

Here are some of the supplies I used to create the background.

Here is my first background:

Mini-Recipe:

1. Lay leaf on a scrap piece of paper. Ink leave with pigment ink.
2. Lay leaf with ink face down on white cardstock. Lay another piece of scrap over the leaf and brayer the leaf several times.
3. Lift leaf up and oohh and ahh over the detail you stamped.. :)
4. Cover with clear embossing powder and heat emboss.
5. Sponge golden yellow ink. Sponge brown ink around the edges.

Here is my second background:

I also used a poinsetta flower petal which provided the most detail. The poinsetta flower petal was gorgeous. I didn't end up putting it on a card because it was too large when I finished with it.

Here is the card I put together using the tree leaves.
Products:

• Versafine - Olympia Green
• Memento - Rich Cocoa
• Memories - Honey
• Verses - Apache Blessing
• Ribbon - Unknown
• Kaisers - Gems
  

Thanks for stopping by...

Be yourself....

This is a card using the distress ink background. I thought would be cute to make a little owl in different colors along with the sentiment.

The recipe for the background is smearing the ink on acetate, spritzing it until it blends together and putting the white cardstock on it to absorb the inks. I also stamped on the background to get my leaves.

Products:

• Hero Arts - Tiny Owl
• Hero Arts - Long Branch
• Hero Arts - Leaf Cluster
• Hero Arts Anytime Messages
• Ranger Distress Ink - Peeled Paint
• Ranger Distress Ink - Broken China
• StazOn Timer Brown
• General Kimberly Watercolor Pencil
• Fiskars Circle cutter, Fiskars Oval Template

I am playing with something else as a technique which I hope to share tomorrow. It has been a lot of fun for me and I can't wait to share...

Thanks for stopping over...

Silent Night...

This looks very similar to the card I made last week. The technique is different...

I apologize for the picture... It is dark and gloomy here and taking in door pictures on something I have put glaze on is tricky...

Recipe:

1. Pull out a sheet of acetate. Take the peeled paint and broken china distress ink pads and smeared them on the acetate randomly. Spritz water on the ink until it beads up and starts to blend together.
2. Take 2 pieces of white cardstock. Put one on the ink and push gently. Lift it up and set it ot the side. What should be left on the acetate are drops of ink across the sheet. Put the second piece of white cardstok on the ink. Gently press down across all the paper.
3. This card was made from the 2nd piece of cardstock. (I actually made 4 pieces of background paper to make this card)
4. Cut the inked cardstock into a 5 x 5 square. Cut a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" square from the inked cardstock.
5. Ink the stamp with versamark only on the trees. Stamp on the 3 1/2 x 3 1/2" inked cardstock.
6. Apply green chalk to the trees. (I erased my excess chalk. I broke down and purchased a chalk eraser and I love it.)
7. Stamp sentiment using a brown marker.
8. Versamark the entire sentiment and stamped image and heat emboss using clear embossing powder.
9. Time ribbon around stamped image.
10. Mount the inked cardstock with the trees on brown and green cardstock.
11. Pop dot the center picture on the larger inked cardstock.
12. Assemble the card.

Products:

• Ranger Distress Inks - Broken China, Peeled Paint
• Versamark Watermark Ink Pad
• Hero Arts - Clear Design Three Tree Christmas
• Hero Arts - Silent Night
• Ribbon - Unknown
• Gems - Unknown
• Pebbles Inc., Pearlescent Chalk

Thanks for stopping by...

The candy goes to....

Andi....

OH girlfriend! I just love that little birdy and do not have it in my collection!!!! (I do have the other one!)...What about cupcakes? Need any cupcake stamps?????
November 8, 2008 7:19 PM


Thanks for all the nice comments. I have been so swamped with making my dreaded calendar pages I haven't even had anything to share.



Andi... I will email you and send out your little stamps..

I hope to be posting something to share this week as the Hero Arts blog is all about techniques this week and it is my favorite thing to do...


Thanks for stopping by...

How would you like...

a little Blog Candy...

Hero Arts was so nice as to send me some stamps because I was chosen as a Honorable Mention in one of their weekly challenges..

I recieved my package and in it were these stamps:

Now I have a pretty big collection of Hero Arts stamps and unfortunately for me... I already have these great stamps. Fortunately for you.... I am willing to share...

I know there are a few of you that stop over regularly and I appreciate that.

Leave me a little note by 11:59 CST Sunday Nov 9th and I will randomly select someone to receive these two little stamps and I might find a few other surprises to stick in the bag. :)

Thanks for stopping by...

Mini Thank You....

I am supposed to be wrapping up my calendar page... I participate in a calendar exchange... It is like a cookie exchange... You create 12 pages of one month and you exchange with 12 other women... Well my page is due as it has to ship off to Florida... (I actually signed up for 2 months in 2 different calendars)... I made a commitment to myself I will get them done this weekend... Meanwhile... I keep making mini cards...

Here is another mini card for the inspired by challenge...

The inside contains the same little sticker letters...

I just purchased that embossing folder and wanted to use it. I thought it looked like bark which then triggered the branch and the bird.

Products:

• Hero Arts Sparkle Design - Hello Birdie
• Hero Arts - Long Branch
• Memento - Rich Cocoa
• Versafine - Majestic Blue
• General Kimberly Watercolor Pencils
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Distressed Stripes
• Spellbinders Nestabilities - Scalloped Rectangles

I really am going to work on my calendar page...

Little Snowman Card...

This little card is made with the Hero Arts Snowman. I think he has been done in a similar fashion on a few of my other cards. This card was made for the Hero Arts Blog challenge. You are to be inspired by one of the guests on the blog this week. This card was inspired by Donna she is such a nice person and she makes the cutest cards. Here is a link to her flickr photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/3umbrellas/ and here is the link to her day on the HA blog: http://heroarts.com/blogs/club/2008/11/05/win-a-day-contest-winner-donna-mikasa/

Here is a card that is inspired by Donna's cards:

I won't provide all the details as they are fairly simple...

I put the folded cardstock on top of the nestabilities oval scallop and made sure I could see the outline of the oval on the left side. I just ran it through my cuttlebug and there you have it a little scalloped oval card.

I stamped the snowman on the patterned paper to cut out the brim of the hat, the hat and the scarf.

I used watercolor pencils and water brush to give the snowman his pink tinge and black gems for his eyes.

Products:

• Hero Arts Design Clear Warmest Winter Wishes
• Basic Grey Wassail - Greetings,
• Versafine Onyx Black Pigment Ink
• General Kimberly Watercolor Pencils
• Spellbinders Nestabilities Scalloped Oval
• Marvy Uchida Scalloped Oval Punch
• Fiskars Oval Template, Fiskars Circle Cutter
• Crystal Stickers Pearls

Thanks for stopping by...

Chalk & Versamark

I love using versamark and clear embossing powder to pump up the volume on my colors whether it be colored pencils, chalk, glimmer mist or distress inks. I saw a technique that I had never tried using versamark and chalk. This technique was used by a stamper on 2 Peas embee. Here is the link to her picture: http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1396451 .

She describes it as covering the background in chalks and then stamping an image on top with Versamark and heat embossing with clear embossing powder. I combined this technique with using masking as Jennifer McGuire has a video on masking and is hosting a challenge. http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2682492

Here is my card:

I purposely left it very simple to highlight the trees and the colors. I also had to photograph it on a different background to show it was a white card base.

Recipe:

1. Apply chalks in various colors to the background. I used eyeshadow applicators to rub on spots of color and my finger to blend them together. I used yellow, blue, and green in various shades.
2. Stamp the tree on a post it note to make my mask. Cut it out.
3. Stamp with versamark the tree multiple times using the mask to overlap the trees and give the effect of the forest. (I did have some blue left on the stamp from the mask I created. I think it came through on a few of the trees faintly which I think helped with the overall effect.)
4. Heat emboss the trees with clear embossing powder.
5. Using a white gel pen I added dots of white to give a snowfall in the background. It doesn't show up very well in this picture but added a nice touch IRL.
6. Stamp the sentiment on a scrap piece of the chalked background. Mount with the twine and tag holder.
7. Layer with teal cardstock and mount on white card.

Products:

• Pebbles Pearlescent Chalks
• Versafine Olympia Green
• Signo White Uni-Ball Gel Pen
• Tag Holder Unkown
• Twine - EK Success Adornments
• Penny Black - 3738B wondrous
• Paper Inspirations - G10198 Art Brush Pine Tree
• Versamark Watermark Ink
• JoAnn's Clear Embossing Powder

Thanks for wandering over...

Faux Metal - Copper Owl, and Jade Tree

There was a faux metal class and challenge over at 2 Peas hosted/taught by Kristina Werner. http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=2677588



I made several faux metal pieces in several embossing powders. I only used 2 of them and made cards from them..
The first card was a thank you to my son's confirmation sponser. I used the Judikins Rustique Jade Patina. The embossing powder is a beautiful mix of green and blue. I can't wait to use this on another project. The only limitation on this was matching the blue/green colors with cardstock and ribbon.

The second card is going to be a birthday card for my brother in law. The recipe for the card overall is very simple I will share the recipe for the oval copper owl.

Recipe:

1. Cut a piece of cardstock in the shape of an oval. (In the first example I punched the circle out afterwards. This worked okay with the punch. Some of my other samples I tried to use my cutter and the Embossing Powder was too thick and it cut with a ragged edge. )
2. Stamp versamark completely over the stamp you are going to emboss in the hot embossing powder. This will prevent it from sticking. I didn't think you could use the clear stamps but it worked successfully.
3. Stamp versamark completely over the cardstock and heat emboss using the embossing powder of choice. You need to repeat this 3 to 4 times for a thicker embossing powder and more times for a thinner embossing powder. The Judikins embossing powder took 4 times and I got a beautiful image. I used the Queen's Gold Embossing powder for another sample and 4 times wasn't deep enough all across the image.
4. On the final pass of the heat embossing you need your image ready. You need to get the entire surface hot enough that the embossing powder is moving. Take your stamp and press down into the Embossing Powder firmly. Leave in the embossing powder for a minute until it cools. You can than remove it and see your image.
5. Another lesson learned... If you don't like the image you can reheat it until it melts and start again. If you crack your image you can also heat and restart or heat a little to see if you can get it to smooth out.
6. I had several large images I stamped and the embossed image will curl up on you. I reheated slowly and then flattened it and put it under a wooden block to get it flat.
7. On the owl card I did emboss with the same embossing powder the sentiment and background.
8. On both I accented the embossed images with gems and pearls.

Products:

Thank You Card

• Thank You letters are stickers that I sponged with brown ink.
• Hero Arts - Scroll Tree
• Memento Rich Cocoa
• Cuttlebug Embossing Folder - Textured Textile, Birds & Swirls
• Hero Arts - DesignBlock Poinsettia and Birds
• Spellbinders Nestabilities Circle Scallop
• Judikins Rustique Jade Patina Embossing Powder
• Versamark Watermark Ink
• Crystal Stickers - Teal Pearls
• Ribbon - Unknown (Michaels Christmas Ribbon)

Copper Owl

• Judikins Copper Embossing Powder
• Inkadinkado - Winter Birds
• Versmark Watermark Ink Pad
• Hero Arts - DesignBlock Poinsettia and Birds
• Hero Arts - Clear Designs - Birthday Messages
• Gems, Ribbon - Unknown
• Ranger Ruler - For the piercing..
  

As always thanks for stopping by...

Cozy Christmas...

I am still pulling scraps from my scrap pile to make mini cards for the Hero Arts Challenge and because it feels good to use up pieces from my overflowing cardstock pile.

This little card was done at the end of the day. I knew the design I wanted but couldnt' think of what to put in the center. I decided to use this little birdhouse and bird because I have had them for awhile and haven't put them on paper yet. I apologize for the picture as it was the end of day before everyone left and the daylight is getting shorter every day. So this was taken after dark.

This is the front of the card when it is folded. It actually opens up as shown below: ( the picture is deceiving because the green scallop actually stays straight out until you lay it flat. )

The measurements of the closed card is: 5 1/4" x 3". The score is 2 3/4" and 5 1/4".

Recipe:

1. Stamp birdhouse and bird on a light tan paper. The birdhouse was stamped with green solvent ink and the bird was stamped with red solvent ink. Color with watercolor pencils and use a waterbrush to spread the colors. Cut out the birdhouse including the center circle and the bird.
2. Use a white gel pen to color the snow and the white on the bird's hat. (I also added a little red stickles on the berries on the birds hat.)
3. Use the scalloped rectangle nestabilities and the oval scalloped nestabilities to cut out an olive green rectangle, light tan rectangle and a light tan scalloped oval. Punch out an tan oval.
4. Emboss the olive green rectangle and the oval tan with the cuttlebug folders. Put the embossing folders upside down to get the reverse impression on the cardstock. (This was done partially due to a mistake and also because I wanted my oval background to not stand out too much against my bird)
5. Sponge red and brown on the scalloped oval and the regular oval. Sponge brown around the edges of both of the scalloped rectangle.
6. Stamp sentiment on the oval using brown ink.
7. Stamp Hello on tan paper using brown ink and sponge edges with the same ink. Cut in small rectangle.
8. Punch threading water along the right edge of the card base.
9. Cut patterned paper slightly smaller for the front, middle and back of the card.
10. Attach PP to the front, middle and back. Attach the olive green scalloped rectangle half on the front of the card when folded. Pop dot the scalloped oval to the middle of the olive green rectangle. Pop Dot the birdhouse, bird, and hello to the front of the oval.
11. Attach the tan scalloped rectangle to the back of the card. Align with the scalloped rectangle on the front to ensure that the interior rectangle doesn't show. Attach oval to the middle of the rectangle.
12. Attach coordinating buttons on the left side of the card.

Products:

• Memento Rich Cocoa
• Ranger Distress Ink Fired Brick
• StazOn - Olive Green, Blazing Red
• General Kimberly Watercolor Pencils
• Ranger Stickles - Xmas Red
• Basic Grey Figgy Pudding - Pepperberry
• Brother & Sister Design - Have yourself a cozy little Christmas
• Hero Arts - Sparkle Clear Hello Birdie
• Hero Arts - Sparkle Clear Birdhouse Tag
• Spellbinders - Nestabilities Scalloped Rectangle, Scalloped Oval
• Marvy Uchida - Oval Punch
• Buttons Unknown
  

Thanks for visiting...