Snowflake Inspiration

When I saw Jenny Gropp's Snowflake card way back in September I knew I had to try it too.  Had to have that die and this is what I did with it.

CARDFRONT DETAILS:

1. Embossed Lg. Snowflake die onto a piece of  4.5"4.5" white cardstock.  Next time I'd use 4.75" square.
2. Used a glue pen to add glitter (starting from the outside first).  The snowflake itself is actually 4 snowflakes.
3. Mounted pearls with Glossy Accents in my needle nose bottle and QuickStik.  It's really rare if I used the GA bottle to apply it any more.
4. Mounted bow and used Glossy Accents and a little glitter.
5. Stamped CAC Ornate Snowflakes, inked with Memento Summer Sky, on white cardstock.  Trimmed it to 5.0"X5.0".
6. Using Spellbinders Adorning Squares largest die (outside edge) as a stencil, placed in the center of the 5.0" square, traced around it and then used an X-acto knife to cut it out, leaving the frame for the snowflake. (Saved the inside for the inside of the card).
7. Cut a piece of white "Laid" cardstock 5.25"X5.25".
8. Mounted the embossed snowflake behind the Ornate Snowflake frame.  Rounded the edges with the punch.
9. Mounted it to the Laid cardstock and rounded the edges with the punch.
10. Cut a piece of cardstock 5.25"X10.5", scored length at 5.25", and used Rounder punch on the edges. 

INSIDE CARD:

1. Adorning Squares and the second largest die cut from Lg. Snowflake were used on the left-hand side.  Pearls and glitter were added as shown.
2. The right side is the third from the smallest die form Resplendent Rectangles.  It was used as a die and then as a stencil with Magic Matter to get the white area for the stamped sentiment, Most Wonderful Time.
3. Small Snowflake die set was used for the two snowflakes on the sentiment.  Glitter and pearls were added.

ENVELOPE:

1. Leftovers from Ornate Snowflake background were used for the strips on the envelope and edges inside the card.
2. The snowflake is the smallest one from Lg. Snowflake.  Glitter and a heart pearl were added to it.

A fun card!!  One last note.  I have been using a QuickStik lately to mount some of my pearls.  It isn't as sticky as the Sticky Sticks, that just won't let go.  I was surprised to see how easy it was to pick up things and how easy to release when setting the pearl, etc., down on Glossy Accents or glue.

Thanks for stopping by to look and share.

 Shirley

SUPPLIES:

This Card Is For You

Before I talk about this card I would like to give thanks for the inspiration I used for my last card.  You can see it HERE.  I loved the card Colleen Dietrich at Dietrich Designs as seen HERE.  If you have never been there you need to visit and I promise you will want to look for a while!!  Thank you Colleen for your inspiration and creativity!

The card above was inspired by Lynn McAuley at Confessions Of A Left-Brained Stamper.  I was so excited when I pulled the jpg as an inspiration because Lynn had her name on it so I could find her blog.  Do you think I could find the card~!!!!!! Nooooooooo~  So Lynn, if you see this let me know where I saw your card!! :-)

A very simple card.  One piece of paper for the quilt look is hoarded leftovers.  It is called Italian Venetian and is has gold filigree here and there in the leaves and blossoms.  The other is Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 80lb. cardstock.  The pieces were punched with a 1 3/8" Paper Shaper punch and mounted to a piece of  the Neenah White.

The flourish, from Flourishes Siberian Iris, was stamped on the Neenah white cardstock with Brilliance Galaxy Gold.  The pearls are from Oriental Trading Company and they are not sticky and were mounted with Glossy Accents. The green is Twinkling H2O Moss Green.

A Dark Brown Sharpie and a ruler were used for the Faux Stitching.  That was run through my Cuttlebug with their Victoria embossing folder.  I pieced another piece of Neenah white so everything measured 4.0"X5.25".  That was mounted to a piece of Curious Metallic Chocolate text weight.

Now the fun really began.  I used my new PTI Flower Bloom #1 die set with the Italian Venetian paper as shown with my Cuttlebug.  I used a stylus on a piece of stylus foam to give the petals dimension along with 3D 1/16" pop dots under each petal.  The tips of the petals were rounded with the rod of a needle punch.  The buttons are from my stash, as well as the gold thread. One button is crystal clear with a gold trim and the other is a pearl pink.

The tag is from Spellbinder Tag Trio and was saved from a past project.  The sentiment is by Paper Salon and was embossed with Gold EP.  I mounted it on the Italian Venetian paper, trimmed around it, and cut out the ribbon slots with an X-Acto knife.  The dots are Stickles Cotton Candy. The ribbon is from Michaels.  The stick pin and Czech bead are from my stash!.

I am off to do another card.  I am down from 8 cards at a time to 2 and may get to 1.  That should speed up my production rate............maybe!!!  :-)

That's all for today and thanks for stopping by to look and say hi!!

 Shirley

Supplies:
Papers: Neenah Classic Crest, Solar White, Super Smooth cardstock and text weight; Curious Metallic Chocolate text weight; Italian Venetian

Stamps: Flourishes Siberian Iris - flourish; Paper Salon For You

Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold; Shaprie Dark Brown; Gold EP

Accessories: Oriental Trading Company pearls; EK Success Paper Shaper 1 3/8" punch; clear and pink pearl buttons; Gold thread from stash; Cuttlebug Victoria; Spellbinders Tags Trio; Stickles Cotton Candy; Michaels ribbon; Bow-Easy; stick pin and Czech from stash.

It's Me Again!

Well, I started to design a card and when I got to the Designer Paper I couldn't decide between two, so I did some of each. 

My image is from Stampassions. The designer is Shara Reiner. Isn't it whimsically wonderful. It was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and I colored it with Twinkling H2O's.  I high lighted the flowers with Glossy Accents and Deco Art Glamour Dust.

(As of the end of June, or by CHA anyway, they are going to be sold now by Creative Imaginations. There are less colors, but they are more vibrant and they are all in different packaging too.) They will be selling some in 5 gram pots with 6 to a set.  There area also some that are different colors in 10 gram pots and sold separately. They will also have the daubers and the sprays too, again in different containers and the sprays do not clog.)  They sent me some samples (LUCKY ME) and I am going to do some projects with them soon.

The image was framed with Bazzill Bling cardstock.  The edge was done with Martha Stewart corner and border punches.  The ribbon is from Michaels and the button is too.   Mark Richards 2mm pearls were used in the holes of the button.  The butterfly is also an MS punch.  I used Glossy Accents on the dots and applied Deco Art Glamour Dust.  What you see next to the card is the envelope.  It was done using a dauber to ink the image and then painted as shown.  Below is what I did with the inside and envelope:

Below is how I did the other card using different DP.  Same color, but different shades of pink and design on the paper too! 

SUPPLIES:
Stamp: Stampassions: Summer Thyme Bouquet by Shara Reiner.
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb. cardstock and text weight for the punched edges, Bazzil Bling, Stampin' Up and Anna Griffin.
Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet, Heavenly White, Orange Peel, Dreamsicle, Cool Waters
Accessories: Glossy Accents; Deco Art Glamour Dust; 1/8" pop dots, Heart button, Mark Richards 2mm pearl stickers, Martha Stewart Double Loops Punch Set and EK Success Paper Shaper Butterfly punch.

Well I think that just about covers everything.  I hope your weekend is turning out great and I'll see you back here soon.  Thanks for all of your emails to say hi and for stopping by to look and share.

 Shirley

Another Card You Say

First I want to thank all of you who have signed up for the blog candy. Don't forget there are new images coming to Impression-Obsession in the month of July, so it will be a great time to get stamps. In additions Mitra has some new innovations I think you will alsoi like.


I am experimenting in using DP more often and I find it challenging. I have been so used to making my own designed paper for backgrounds.

Image:


The image is Row of Blooms by Leigh Hannan of Impression-Obsession. It was stamped on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and then heat embossed to speed up the drying. (See my left side-bar for Embossing Without Powder.) It was painted with Twinkling H2O's. The roses were rubbed with Dorlands Wax and embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. (Dorland's Wax has the same properties as Micro Glaze, but sooooo much cheaper.) They were then accented with a fine tipped brush and Liquitex Acrylic Gold Basics. If you click on the image, you will see the Liquitex matches pretty close to the Galaxy Gold on the leaves. It just makes the roses more distinct. The dots in the stripes are Stickles Cinnamon glitter glue.

Punched Background:
Every time I use a border punch for the first time I make a template so I can figure out the corner for then and in the future. I keep them all together in a blister box. This punch is EK Success Fleur De Lis. I suggest practicing at least once to get the feel of it.

Neenah Classic Laid Solar White cardstock was used. I like the texture and tooth it has. You can see it if you click on the image photo above the punch how to. The steps I used to get the edges and corners are above. I should mention that the left hand measurement is also .75. I know it makes sense, but we all aren't mathematically gifted.
Embossed Background:
I used DP from Basic Grey and ran it through the Cuttlebug using the Swiss Dots embossing folder. This card is 4.5"X6". Go figure, because I haven't the vaguest idea how I got there except turning my punched image makes it wider than 4.25 and I bought 6X6 DP pads. LOLOL
Assembling Card And Embellishments:
I mounted the image to the punched edges piece using 3D Pop Dots. It was then mounted to the embossed Swiss Dot background. at an angle as shown.
The ribbon is a deep brown from Michael's one dollar bin. I measure the ribbon for each end and tied 5 knots spaced out. It was lined up horizontally with the image and mounted through the punched edge at each end and attached to the back of the Swiss Dots. Bow was done with the Bow-Easy
The gold flowers are actually 4X7mm gold bead caps that I flattened using rounded needlenose pliers like those shown. The ends are round for bending wire and the inside is flat to flatten things. It is actually pretty fast. To do 3 it took me probably 3-5 minutes. They were mounted with glue dots. The rhinestones are 3mm by Mark Richards.

SUPPLIES:
Stamps: Row Of Blooms G2157
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth and Laid, Basic Grey Porcelain Empress Cream
Inks: Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's Warm Pecan, Cherry Sorbet, Olive Vine, Buttercup, Honey Amber .(They are staying in business too.)
Accessories: Dorland's Wax, Liquitex Basics Gold, EK Success Fleur De Lis Edger Punch, Bow Easy, Stickles Cinnamon glitter glue, Mark Richards Amber Crystal Stickers, Ribbon from Michaels $1 bin, Gold Bead Caps 4X7mm
Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share, and don't forget to register for the gift certificate above!

 

 Shirley

 

Nautilus Shell At The Beach

I love a lot of Stamp Zia stamps because they remind me of Art Deco. I have both the 3" and 5.5" stamps of the above image. It is called Shellscape Sphere. She offers her stamps in:

• Unmounted



• Mounted with vinyl or



• Mounted to Acrylic block

The image was stamped with Galaxy Gold, what else is new, and painted with Twinks. The shell was done with Jones Tones Foil. The technique is shown in my tutorial at the Impression-Obsession blog HERE. After using Jones Tones Foil, I always go over it with a thin layer of Glossy Accents. Mica Gold Flakes from USArt Quest were added to simulate sand.

The sphere around the image is a cut and embossed circle from Spellbinders Large Circle Dies. The punched holes are from an EK Success Small Shapes punch. Mark Richards 5mm pearls were mounted in between. 3D Pop Up Dots were used under the image and also under the punched circle die cut.

The background bottom layer is Neenah Classic Laid Solar White. The next layer is Bazzill Bling Sparkle. I used Classic Laid Solar White left overs after the die cut was removed. They are from the Cuttlebug Floral Borders Die set. They looked like waves to me.

The ribbon is from May Arts and I tied it Martha Stewart Style.

Stamps: Stamp Zia Shellscape Sphere
Paper: Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth and Laid cardstock, Bazzill Bling Sparkle cardstock
Ink: Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Twinkling H2O's
Accessories: *Jones Tones Pearl Swirl Foil and Foil Glue, USArt Quest Gold Mica Flakes, Jones Tones Pearl Swirl Foil and Foil Glue, Glossy Accents, EK Success Small Shaper Punch, Mark Richards 5mm Pearls, May Arts Ribbon, 3D Pop Up Dots.

*Jones Tones Pearl Swirl Foil is transparent and takes on the color underneath. It give a Mother of Pearl look here, but can also take on a Gold Fish look like HERE. Their Swirl, however is not transparent and can pass for a Faux Dichroic look, like HERE, or it can also be used for Faux Abalone Shell, also called Paua shell by New Zealanders.

I thank you all for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share today. Hope your Mother's Day is all you have wished it to be!

 

 Shirley

 

Well It's Different!

Here is where I got my inspiration for the above card. Michelle Giraud at Twisted Chick Creations was a Guest Designer for Impression-Obsession when I first started posting on their blog. She is such a great Designer and I check out her blog often. I saw her card and immediately loved the way she threaded the gold cord up the side! I also like that she had used a border punch I had! Hee hee. I actually loved the whole card. She is one creative designer. My problem was I wanted to use the ribbon you see because it matched the leaves in my image. So......I needed bigger scallops and bigger holes. I'll come back to this issue, but first my image.

Image:
1. The image is Victorian Blossom One by Impression-Obsession. Stamp with VersaMark and emboss with Enchanted Gold to give it a delicate sparkly look on Neenah Classic Crest Natural Super Smooth 80lb. Cover cardstock.
2. Paint using Niji waterbrush with Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet and Wintermint, and highlight with Stickles Yellow. (Luminarte 40% off sale is still in progress.)
3. Run image through Cuttlebug using Spellbinder Large Square Die with embossing pad. The stack is:
- Plate A,
- 3 pieces 4.25X5.5 of cardstock,
- Plate B, *Die facing up,
- *Image (Removable Scotch tape used to secure the die to the image so it wouldn't move.)
- Spellbinder embossing mat,
- Plate B. (It actually gives 3 distinct embossed ridges to the frame when you do it this way.)
4. Trim around image.
5. Mount on DP 3.75"x4.0" with no DP showing on the right side. Anna Griffin-Pink Paisley
6. Mount that on 4.25"x5.5" of Bazzill Birthstone October cardstock.


Now for the fun part and what I did so I could use the ribbon:

Ribbon Braid:
1. (2) 1"x4" strips of DP. Draw a penciled line .75" high across the length of DP, from end to end. You can look at how it would be without the drawn line HERE. Then you could trim it down on the bottom to the .75" after you use the Slot punch as shown on the other blog. I have to say that might be easier.
2. Line up scalloped edges with the image side already mounted. (See Above)
3. Eyeball and draw little dots where you want the holes to be in the center of each scallop.
4. Use EK Success 1/4" Paper Shaper Large Circle in the middle of each scallop.
5. Thread 16" of Michaels ribbon through as shown.
6. The Ribbon Slide is from Fancyfuls, Inc. online store.

Embellishments:
1. The butterfly is from the Martha Stewart Butterflies punch. Your local Wal-Mart has it.
2. The 2mm Pearls are Mark Richards Small Script Alphabet and the 3mm are Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements Pearls.

On here the card looks a bit over-the-top to me. In person it looks very light and feminine. What is it about the eye of the beholder they say? Ha! And we are done! Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Hi There!

This was a relatively quick card.

Image:
1. Stamp the image Valentine Rose Garden G2310 by Impression-Obsession on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb. Cover cardstock 4"X5.25" with Brilliance Galaxy Gold.
2. Heat Emboss to set image. It really does raise up. Click on the image below for a close-up of what I am talking about.

3. Paint image with Niji waterbrush and Twinkling H2O's Rubilite and Sweet Alfalfa.
4. Use Kleenex to blot exactly after painting when a lighter color is wanted.
5. Line the right and left hand edges of image up 'just inside' the Cuttlebug embossing folder Distressed Stripes.
6. Paint 'Distressed Stripes' area with Twinkling H2O Warm Pecan.
7. Use Cuttlebug Combo Set Everyday Greetings 'hi there'. Place with glue. Apply Stickles Lime glitter glue.
8. Apply the same glitter glue to the leaf buds as shown in image.
9. Mount image on 4.25"X5.5" of Red cardstock.

You can see the other image I did with this stamp on the Impression-Obsession blog HERE.

Bottom Edge(I have no idea where I got any of this paper):-(:
1. Punch edge using Green/Beige Plaid paper and Fiskars Threading Water Border Punch.
2. After punching the edge measure how much edge you want to be on the bottom and trim the edge that wide with a paper cutter.
3. Thread ribbon through leaving 1' edges of ribbon at each end. Mount as shown and then secure the ribbon to the back of card. Place a glue dot in the middle of the scalloped edge to secure the top just a tad.

Top Edge I have no idea where I got the Red cardstock. I love it and this was a left-over:
1. First remove the plastic edge guide that lines it up for the corner. It slips off fairly easy.

2. Before punching the edge decide how much of an edge you want above the scallop. You can't get more than 1/4" and you will see that once you get started.
3. Measure up from the bottom edge of the cardstock at each end and make a mark. Draw a white line, using your white pen, from right to left. (Punch Image 1)

4. Holding the piece of cardstock in your left hand, line up the white line with the 2 bottom triangles in the design shown above. Makes sure you can see the cardstock completely in the arc area. Punch the carstock.

5. Move your punch over until you can see the upper corner of the other punched image (a little slice in the cardstock) and the white line through each of the bottom purple triangles. There is a paper slice right where the yellow mark on the right is and you line that up with the left edge of the arc in your punch window. Punch again until you have 5 punched images.
6. Tape the back of the flat edge and mount as shown. Trim up edges.

Embellishments:
7. Mount Mark Richards 3mm Crystal Stickers Pearls as shown. I show how to trim under and behind the pearls on my I/O Tutorial under Embellishment III 6.
8. The bow was tied Martha Stewart style and mounted as shown with a glue dot.

That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Hugs And Kisses Too!

I've been waiting to use this stamp, Valentine Margarita by Impression-Obsession for almost a year.

1. The image was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock 80lb.
2. It was painted with Twinkling H2O Garnet and Solar Gold.
3. The glass was emphasized with Glossy Accents.

4. The truffle on the rim was painted with Twinkling H2O's Solar Gold. Stickles Garnet glitter glue was used on the top.

5. The holes for the ribbon were done with an eyelet Silent Setter. The picot ribbon is from Michaels.

6. The Drink Charm was made by using the EK Success Wrought Iron Corner Adorner Slot Punch on Clear Lucky Squirrel Poly Shrink. I added bold lines on the figure below to give you and idea of how it was trimmed after punching was done.

VersaMark was then applied to both sides to keep it from sticking to itself while shrinking using a heat gun. You can't do this if you paint or
color it before shrinking. The paint will run. This technique is also great when working Poly Shrink you are going to stamp while hot to make an impression. I also use a bread loaf non stick pan when shrinking something small like this. Helps keep it in sight....and a wooden skewer also rubbed with VersaMark and placed loosely in one of the holes while it was heated. When done the VersaMark was rubbed off the charm with a baby wipe before doing anything else with it.

7. The charm was painted with a Red Sharpee pen. Two size jump rings were used to hang it from the stem of the glass as shown.


8. The edge punched with the Fiskars Heart Border Punch, done after the image, is another story. If anyone knows of a better way please email me.
-a. Measured the width of the punched area itself from outside edge into the edge of the image and marked it.
-b. Trimmed the cardstock on each side, leaving the bottom and top alone at first.
-c. Centered the punch and punched the 2 hearts in the center.
-d. One heart was punched on each side of them by turning the punch over and lining up on the bottom of the punch.
-e. The top and bottom edge of the image was punched by lining the punch edges up with the two punched edges already there. The the edges were matched by trimming with cuticle scissors to match as well as possible.

9. The image was mounted on Stardream Metallic Jupiter Text weight paper.

10. Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth cardstock 80lb. cardstock was run though the Cuttlebug using Floral Fantasy and trimmed down to 4X5.25".
11. It was mounted on another piece of Stardream Metallic Jupiter Text weight paper.
12. The image was mounted on it as shown.
13. Certain areas shown on the embossed Floral Fantasy were painted with Twinkling H2O's Garnet.

14. White Prima Forever Flowers were used on the top and bottom of the cardfront, mounted with glue dots.
15. 3 Hearts were punched from some Stardream Metallic Jupiter Text weight paper using a Fiskars Hand Punch 1/4" Heart. They were mounted in the centers of the flowers and Glossy Accents was added for depth and shine.
16. A glue pen was used on the veins of the petals and DecoArt Glamour Dust Crystal glitter was applied. Then Shimmerz Angel Wings was used to highlight the edges of the petals.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share. Have a great weekend too!

 

 Shirley

 

Kaleidoscope Card

I bought the Starflowers Cling Set by Impression-Obsessions well over a year ago, maybe more. I finally said it's now or never and this is what happened. I took a really crazy trip mentally with this one, as you can tell! Ha! To me it looks like something you would see through a kaleidoscope.

1. The image was stamped randomly on Bindakote 10 pt C/1S White Glossy cardstock with Brilliance Galaxy Gold. It was painted with Twinkling H2O's French Lilac and Sweet Alfalfa.
2. Some of the petal areas, etc. were done with Stickles Rose Quartz and Dark Blue glitter glue.
3. EK Succes Iron Eagle Punch was used on opposite ends of the White Glossy.
4. Hero Arts Sparkle Gems Blossoms were added to the center of the two flowers as shown. A Mark Richards 2mm pearl was added to the center of each flower.
5. The image was mounted on Bazzill Bling Emerald City.

6. Stickles Dark Blue glitter glue was used to fill in the punch areas and Mark Richards 5mm Pearls were added to opposite ends.

7. The May Arts ribbon was knotted for interest and mounted with glue dots. Then a Martha Stewart bow was added. The colors look like a mixture of the H2O's French Lilac used in the center of the flower and the Stargazer used on the mounted Snowflakes.

8. The die cuts are from Cuttlebug Die Snowflake #2. I had them leftover from a prior project. They were painted with H2O Stargazer. Mark Richards 3mm pearls were added to the middle and they were placed strategically (I love that word) with glue dots.

9. I decided to add the words to the lower right flower just because! The words were created for my blog with my Digital Image Pro 9. This way I save the card with the blank area and stamp whatever I want when I want. Ha~ The deep purple border was some scrap cardstock (Yes, I do save scraps. Every now and then I go through and clean them out, but you never know, like today for instance!) The glitter glue edge is the same Stickles Rose Quartz.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Stained Glass Heart - Well Maybe!

Perfect for those whose anniversaries are around the corner maybe. The image is Alesa Baker's Stained Glass Heart by Impression-Obsession.

1. The image was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold on Neenah Classic Crest Super Smooth Natural 80lb. Cover cardstock 4 times and then layered as shown with dimensional dots. You can see it better if you click on it. The image was painted with Twinkling H2O's Heavenly White, Cherry Sorbet, and Olive Vine. Pink double faced Satin ribbon from Michaels was used for the top of the heart. A Mark Richards 2mm pearl from his Scrip Alphabet was used for the middle of the rose. I had a piece of lace from who knows where that I placed around the edge of the heart.



2. Curious Ice Gold text weight paper was cut in a 3" square and then embossed with the Cuttlebug embossing folder Floral Fantasy. An EK Success Small Corner Rounder was used on the corners. The main image was mounted on that.

3. Stardream Chiara Rose Quartz text weight paper was cut in a 3" square and then embossed with the Cuttlebug embossing folder Floral Fantasy.

4. Curious Caramel text weight was cut 4.25"X5.5" and then embossed with the Cuttlebug folder Floral Fantasy. It was trimmed and then mounted on Curious Ice Gold Text weight paper. The Rose Quartz was mounted and Mark Richards 5mm Pearls added as shown. The image mounted on the Curious Ice Gold was mounted on top of that. The cardfront was then mounted on the front of white 5.5X8.5" folded cardstock.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share.

 

 Shirley

 

Just A Bunch of Bubbles!

I am near the end of Christmas cards I think and Christmas trees too. This is all one stamp. I am going to be brief with my explanation of how I did it. If anyone has more questions, feel free to email me using the gadget in my sidebar to the right.

The image, Starry Night by Impression-Obsession, with Brilliance Gold Galaxy then heat embossed to dry the ink. The background was painted with Twinkling H2O's Caribbean Mist and Bashful Blue, and Lemon Yellow. The stars were highlighted with Rangers Stickles Yellow glitter glue. The white area is White Gesso. (I have a small plastic bottle with a metal tip that makes it so quick and easy to do. It's like working with frosting. It also dries pretty fast.) I thought about the tree and how I wanted to do it for quite a while.

I decided to stamped it again and cut out the tree. I painted the tree with Twinkling H2O's Sweet Alfalfa. Jones Tones glue was then applied and when just tacky Jones Tones Iridescent Green was applied.(It is green translucent foil, with specks of blue, gold, and silver). Liquid Pearls White Opal was applied and then when dry Mark Richards 2 and 3mm pearls were applied. Mark Richards only offers 2mm pearls in their Script Alphabets, so I get those and then cut what I want. The tree was then mounted with dimensional stickers.

I wanted a larger star for the top of the tree. (Yes, I do save leftover cardstock. I punch images and tags with it, etc.) I decided which star in the background to use and(1) inked just that area, kind of LOLOLOL, (2 ) then placed the piece of cardstock on top of it and pressed down, careful not to move it around. Then I lift it straight up. It is so much easier to copy part of a larger stamp this way. I do all of my large backgrounds this way too, as I am sure most of you do. The star was cut out, mounted on the top of the tree where the other smaller star is, painted with Lemon Yellow, and then Stickles Yellow glitter glue applied. When dry I added Glossy Accents.

I trimmed the white border around the outside down, mounted it on Bazzill Emerald City cardstock. The holes for the ribbon were punched with the small Stampin' Up Slot punch. The ribbon from Michaels was mounted and a bow added. A 1.5" corsage pin, Czech 5mm Yellow pressed glass heart, and 2mm white glass pearl were added to the Blue Organdy bow. EK Success Jolee's Boutique Snowflakes were used to embellish the card and tag.

The tag is from Spellbinders Ribbon Tag Trio and the words from Impression-Obsession Merry Christmas were stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold.

Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share. Hope your Christmas shopping is done and, if not, that it goes smoothly!

 

 Shirley

 

New Zigen Stamps

The above image is one of Kodomo Inc.'s new Zigen stamp line. They come mounted on acrylic block with a colored picture on the back and with white rubber. I am trying to get Kodomo to offer them unmounted with repositionable cling. I told them without the acrylic they would be more 'GREEN' because most of us already have the mounts. If you would like to also ask, here is their email: angelashu9688@sbcglobal.net Here is Kodomo Art's site. You can also email them from their site.

I bought mine at Stamp Desires because they had the cheapest at that time at $12.60 instead of the normal $14.00. As of today, I see that Hanko Designs has them on sale for $11.95.

The image was stamped on Neenah Solar White. Their 80lb. cardstock doesn't ball up when painting with watercolors unless you really abuse it. The image was painted with watercolors and embellished with glitter glue and Lumiere.

A butterfly was punched using Japanese paper. Clear rhinestones were added for the body and some glitter glue was added to the wing edges. The ribbon is from eons ago. Dew Drops were added at opposite ends of the image.

The matte for the image is Navy cardstock. A a napkin someone gave me somewhere in the past was used for the main background. IRL the flowers really match the ribbon, some of the napkin and the Dew Drops.

The background is actually a technique I knew as a 'Hot Card'. It is also known as 'Paper Napkin Transfer'. Michelle Wedemeyer has video taped the technique HERE. Her blog is called Michelle's Rubber Room. Thank you for your video Michelle. The only thing I had to change was how hot to heat the iron and that was a minor thing. Mine had to be on Cotton.

Supplies:
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock -4.25X5.5" (trimmed to 3"X4.75 after painting image) and 5.5X8.5 folded for card.
Stampin' Up Night of Navy cardstock
Dinner Napkin for somewhere provided by someone (thank you someone)
Cling wrap or Saran Wrap
Copy Paper or Scrap paper

Image:
Brilliance Galaxy Gold
Zigen - Blooming Iris
Niji Waterbrush
Twinkling H2O's - Buttercup, Ice Blue, Heavenly White, Lemon Drop, Pink Crocus, Black Orchid, Moss Green, Sweet Alfalfa
Lumiere Sparkle White (Super Sparkle)
Sharpie-fine point pen Navy

Embellishments:
EK Success Small Butterfly punch
Japanese Yuzen Chiyogami scrap paper for butterfly (Navy Blue, White, Gold)
Mark Richards Crystal Elements Clear Mini
Stickles Diamond and Yellow glitter glues
Dew Drops Poinsettia and Matching Organdy Ribbon

Hope you like my supplies list. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog'.

 

 Shirley

 

Catching Up With the Images

Sometimes I buy stamps without any rhyme or reason. The card below is the result of that! (Smile) I was visiting Michelle Zindorf's blog and saw this card. It led me to Cornish Heritage Farms. I purchased the stamp I saw at Michelle's site and Double Delicate Lily (Unmounted with Repositionable Cling). I have not used the lady yet and can't find her on the CHF site. Now tell me you have never done that? Hee hee. I now have 2 stamps, one I used and one I haven't yet.


The cardstock for image was was first run though the Cuttlebug using a frame stencil. It was trimmed down to the frame shown. The image was then stamped, painted and the stamens highlighted. The pearls were added. The words were stamped.

The embossed background was done with a Cuttlebug Folder and the raised parts painted. The Pink background paper was mounted on the Green background paper. The image was mounted with the ribbon taped under it and then it was mounted to the embossed background, which was mounted on the Pink and Green cardstocks, and then the ribbon attached behind that. Then the three corners were punched. That was mounted on the white folded inside card and the corners were punched again. Four thicknesses would be too much for the corner punch. This way it only has to actually go through the 2 white cardstocks and used the already punched to match it up.


The Stickpin was assembled and mounted on the ribbon. The clutch was sealed with Glossy Accents and added to the end of the pin. The bow was mounted over the Stickpin. The last pearl was mounted in the lower right hand corner.

Frame Around Image:
Neenah Classic Crest Solar White Super Smooth 80lb cover cardstock - I order by the ream. It is so much cheaper. Sometimes a friend will want to share and that is really great for my pocket book.
Marianne Design Passe Partouts Stencil EH1814 I bought mine at my local stamp store. The sandwich I used is the .pdf in the first post here.

Image:
Brilliance Galaxy Gold to stamp image.
Cornish Heritage Farms Double Delicate Lily (Unmounted with Repositionable Cling)
Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet, Green Moss, Solar Gold
Impression-Obsession Sentiments I
Stazon Olive Green
Stickles Orange Peel

Background:
Cuttlebug Leafy Branch Embossing Folder Trimmed to 3.75"X5.0"
Twinkling H2O's Cherry Sorbet and Green Moss
Bazzill Basics Princess Pink 4"X5.25"
Stardream Fairway text weight paper 4.25"X5.5"
EK Success Iron Eagle Corner Punch

Card Body:
I generally use Domtar 80 or 110 lb. cover. I purchase 11"X17" from a local paper supplier and then cut it down to 8.5X11. It costs me about half of what I pay for the Neenah, but it doesn't do watercolor well at all so I use it for the inside fold, 5.5"X8.5" folded.

Embellishments:
Ribbon is from either SU retired or Michaels.
Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements Pearls 3MM and 5MM
1 2" Gold filled Headpin
1 7x4mm Gold Plated Flower Filigree Bead Cap
1 6mm Czech Pressed Glass Heart bead
1 3mm round faux pearl, 1 5mm faux seed pearl from local hobby store, jewelry section
1 Gold Stickpin Clutch - A gold bugle bead, earring back, etc. can be substituted. Sealed with:
Rangers Glossy Accents
If you should comment, could you let me know if you would rather I went back to the old format, or stayed with this one that lists all of the supplies used at the end. Thanks for stopping by 'the blog' to look and share and have a great weekend too!

 

 Shirley

 

Art Deco Natural Humming Bird

The image, Hummingbird, is one of several beautiful stamps I bought from I Brake for Stamps. I swear Della, the owner, has something for everyone, and you always get at least one free stamp. The Hummingbird was stamped with Brilliance Galaxy Gold and painted with Twinkling H2O's. I highlighted the centers of the daisies and the lily with Rangers Stickles Yellow glitter glue. (I found the colors for the hummingbird on Google under photos of hummingbirds. This one lives in Central America.) The circular frame was done using a template, with no name of the company who makes it, on Black Glossy cardstock. *Tip 1 (The edges of black glossy are white and can show and look awkward to me. I run a thick black Sharpie around the circle with my right hand, while I hold it in my left hand. I did the same thing with the black glossy cardstock behind the background.)

The back ground was done with the 5 leftover templates from Cuttlebug 2X6" Floral Borders. I still have the white die cuts to use on another card. That's kind of backward, but it worked here. Ha! I taped the left over stencils together, taped them to a 4.25X5.5" piece of Stampin' Up Very Vanilla cardstock. I used my sponge brayer to cover the stencils with Brilliance Lightening Black. The heat gun was used to dry the ink before removing the tape and the stencil. It was then mounted on the Black Glossy cardstock. The upper left hand corner was done with EK Success Large Rounder Corner Adorner.

The circle for the word is Very Vanilla cardstock using the same template. I created the mat around it with the 1/8" metal disc from my "Magic Matter" from Puzzle Mates Designs. By the way, their price is high based on other sites that sell their product. It pays to "Google". The word is from the Word I Plate from Rubber Stamp Tapestry. The rhinestone accents are from Mark Richards Crystal Stickers Elements. I buy mine at A Cherry On Top or their sister online store, Stickers Galore.

TIP 2 - Now for the ribbon. I didn't have any ribbon that seemed to be the right color of green, fuchsia, yellow, etc. Well, I painted my white $1 bin Michaels ribbon with the same color I used for the pink lily, Twinkling H2O Jasmine. Ha! I wondered if it would work and it was so easy. I used one of my big tipped Niji waterbrushes. It only took it about 20 minutes to dry. I think it looks pretty good. If you already knew this, good for you and now good for me too!!!

I want to thank you for stopping by "the blog".

 

 Shirley

 

3D or Tole or Paper Layering

The main image is Rosey Vase by My Heart Stamps For You. It was stamped with Galaxy Gold ink. I heated everything I stamped or edged with Brilliance Galaxy Gold ink with a heat gun before the next step. I can't get enough of Swirly background by Fire Cracker Designs by Pamela. I used it to do Reverse Mask technique on the vase, again using Galaxy Gold ink. Next I painted the roses and the vase with Twinkling H2O's. I stamped the image again and painted with Twinkling H2O's. I cut out the individual leaves and roses to mount on the image. I used Rangers Glossy Accents to glue the bottom ends to the image and also had a piece of a Pop Dot underneath near the middle to make them stand out from the card (3-D or Tole effect). I used a Fiskars template to cut the oval around the image and then edged the image with Galaxy Gold by lightly dragging the edges over the ink pad.

Next I stamped "the" Swirly background again with Galaxy Gold ink on another piece of cardstock for the background. The oval image was mounted in the center of the background, then mounted to the Bazzill Bling green cardstock. The metal corners are remnants from die cuts I did in the Cuttlebug for other cards. The metal gold oval is by EK Success Architecture Building Embellishments. I think they are discontinued. The word is from Word Plate I by Rubber Stamp Tapestry. I stamped it with ClearSnap Mica Magic Green and then went over it with a Green Sharpie. The gold cord is by Stampin' Up. The beads are Czech glass beads. The butterfly is by Fancifuls, Inc., online.

Thank you for looking and thanks for stopping by "the blog".

 

 Shirley