Happy birthday!

Simple cards sometimes say it best.

A Martha Stewart punch for the flowers; a Punch Bunch punch for the flower centers; Bazzill card stock for all.  The sentiment is from Tim Holtz' Simple Sayings.  It's hard to see but the color palette is purples.

Kraft card stock and strips of scrap paper in a masculine color palette.  Again, the sentiment is from Tim Holtz' Simple Sayings.  I found the inspiration for this card on Pinterest.

Remembering our veterans

The names of the wars were stamped in clear embossing ink and heat set with clear embossing powder.  Various distress inks were used on the top and bottom, leaving a lighter space in the middle of the tag.  The stars were stamped in distress paint; heat set; hand-lettered the military branches on the stars; outlined the stars for better clarity.  Gold metallic stencil paste was used at the bottom of the tag; shadow added with a black Sharpie.  Followed Wendy's tutorial on the plaid heart but I made mine plaid only at the top to create a flag on my heart.  White stars were added using a white Sharpie.  After it was distressed, I cut it out and added foam tape to elevate it on the tag.  Patriotic red, blue and tan silk ribbons adorn the top of the tag with a tag token (Tim Holtz) dangling from the ribbon.

#8 tag; Ranger products:  distress inks, distress stains, distress paints, clear embossing ink and powder;  Studio 490 products:  stencils (Yikes...Stripes, Classic Words, Never Enough Hearts), stamps (Celestial Art), gold metallic embossing paste; Hero Arts alpha set; white & black Sharpie pen

I hope you will keep all our veterans first and foremost on your minds today as you go about your daily activities, whether you're attending recognition ceremonies, celebrating with friends and family, on vacation, or even taking advantage of retail sales.

Simple birthday greetings

A niece is turning 21 today...hard to believe that she'll be a senior in college this fall. 

The card is actually an 8.5x11 inch sheet of card stock folded in half.  Her name was stamped in distress ink using an set of alpha stamps from Heidi Swapp.  The small pocket watch die and numbers are from the Tim Holtz collection.  'Celebrate' is from Stampin' Up.

Admit one

Wow, this month is flying by and I am just now getting to work on my version of Tim's May tag.  I used stamps from the Calendar 1 and Oddities sets.  I did use the same color palette knowing full well that my background would look nothing like his.

I didn't have the enamel tags but created my own version using a fragment charm.  I edged the back side of the charm with black distress paint; let dry.  Then I kept adding enough white distress paint until I was satisfied with the coverage.  Let dry, turn over and proceed with the steps in Tim's step-by-step tutorial.

The calendar was stamped in Jet Black archival ink onto white shrink plastic that had been colored with similar colors.  It's held in place with a hinge clip.

Note to self:  these rub-ons are stickier than others I've used and sometimes the whole sheet would stick when I didn't want them to.

Happiness is...

using Studio 490 stamps, new techniques seen on Wendy's blog and Ranger products!  Oh yeah, baby!

The latest challenge on the EWV Yahoo group is due Tuesday and asks that we use selective embossing techniques as taught by Wendy in two different blog posts (here and here)...because there are 2 different ideas she shares.  Same stuff, just a different look!

I used the Be Happy...Make Art stamp set with loads of Ranger products...archival ink, distress ink, distress stain, distress paint, matte medium, embossing pen, and  embossing powder.  After playing with both ideas I decided to combine them on my #8 tag as well as add a 3rd embossed flower...just stamped with clear embossing ink and powder.

This sentiment should be my daily mantra but sometimes I let other stuff get the better of me and I forget that I am usually bigger than whatever is bothering me.

Friends, Flowers and Art Parts - a winning combination

Have you used Studio 490 Art Parts yet?  If not, what are you waiting for???  There are so many to choose from and most of them coordinate with Wendy's stamps.  Here I've used a rectangle frame and it's base to create a stand-up piece for a special birthday present. 

The frame was covered with Tim's tissue tape.  I smeared Liquitex Ceramic Stucco goop over it.  Once dry I smeared various distress stains and paints over it...love the texture and coverage. 

The sentiment was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink onto specialty stamping paper that had been treated to gesso smears, distress stains, glue & seal smeared over drywall tape and distress paints.  Heat to dry, intermittently misting with water to get the look I wanted of marble.

I punched out several strips of white cardstock using Tim's Tattered Floral Garland die.  Numerous green, yellow, orange and red distress stains were applied to my craft sheet so the flowers and leaves could soak up the color.  I did have to spritz them with water to help make the stain soak into the cardstock.  Using roller ball tips of various sizes I formed the flowers and leaves; air dry.  The flower centers are brown cardstock using Punch Bunch sparkle and twinkle punches - also formed with roller ball tips of various sizes.

Behind the art part rectangle frame is a piece of clear plastic packaging then a spacer frame made from chipboard.  The specialty stamping paper was then adhered to the frame...do it this way in case your stamped image isn't centered (learned that the hard way!).  Lastly the art part base was glued to the other layers before adding all the flowers, leaves and fern fronds.  From chipboard I cut a small easel so the piece would stand up wherever my friend decides to put it.

I needed to include a card so I took the leftover flowers and added them to the top of Wendy's solid flower image from Art-fully Said.   That couldn't have worked out better!  Several green distress markers were used to color the stems and leaves.   Using Peach Bellini pigment ink I randomly stamped part of the large alpha background stamp all over the card.  You can just catch hints of it here and there.  The sentiment (Life & Art) was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink on white cardstock, cut out and mounted on to the same Bazzill cardstock as the middle layer and cut out again.  I thought this was a fun way to use this sentiment...I had already cut the flower off because I tend to use it more without it.

Since I can't be with my friend on her extra special day, I hope this gift will bring a smile to her face.

*Hey, do you see that tiny dark dot on the framed piece at the end of 'do your best'?  It's actually a pit in the gesso where ink pooled...so it's okay to be there and not a mistake!  lol

Hello friend

Here's a birthday card ala my some of my favorites:  Ranger, Studio 490 and Tim Holtz...

The #8 background tag was created using the technique Tim featured on his April 12 Tags of 2013.  I used stamps from Tim (Simple Sayings), his idea-logy and tissue tape.  The roses and pitcher are Studio 490 (stamps - My Kind of Art - and art part).  From Ranger I used distress markers, distress stains, distress paints, archival ink, clear embossing powder, specialty stamping paper and crackle accents.

The roses were stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink on specialty stamping paper and each was colored with a different medium (stain, marker, paint), heat set then colored with Crackle Accents.  I colored the art part with stains and paints then turned the art part onto the inked stamp (Jet Black Archival).  I quickly sprinkled embossing powder over the ink; heat set. 

The tissue tape was smeared with stain and ink; the idea-ology tag was smeared with paint then wiped off.  The background card is an olive-ish green cardstock.

I've been stingy with my use of art parts for other people but I've learned they're too much fun and should be shared with others. 

Happy birthday, my friend!

Happy Mother's Day!

What fabulous timing!  Sizzix issued a Mother's Day challenge last week, my mom called to say they would be here later that same day, and I didn't have a card...or a gift.  Uh oh.  Better get busy!  I just had picked up Susan Tierney Cockburn's gorgeous Lily Die by Sizzix.  While it's too 3-D for a card it would be perfect for a box (as shown on the Sizzix site in the projects area) or on an envelope...because the card I made was too large for a traditional envelope.  Sheesh.  Lots of Sizzix going on here....

This is an A-2 card; the base is a taupe Bazzill cardstock that I smushed some distress ink through a scrap of wall mesh tape.  The cameo frame and medium rectangle were die cut from a light yellow Bazzill cardstock and run through the Damask embossing folder, inked with distress ink, embossing powder and Ranger's Cement Antiquities embossing powder (scattered spots).

'Mom' was cut from light pink Bazzil cardstock using the Typeset die.  The flowers (Tattered Floral Garland die) were cut from crinoline and colored with distress inks.  The mini flourish was cut from a scrap of paper and colored with distress stains and distress paints.

That is me at 2 1/2!

 This is an over-sized envelope that I covered with scrapbooking paper that had been cut with the Moments die.  The pocket watch die was cut from green paper, as was the mini heart.  The mini cameo was cut from a coral Bazzill cardstock scrap.

The lily is from Susan's Garden collection at Sizzix - quite appropriate, don't you think?  It and the silk ribbon (closure) add a bit of class, imho.

Don't you just LOVE this die????  Oh my gosh, I can't wait to get the entire collection!











Wow, I used 10 Sizzix dies and 1 embossing folder!  I'll be entering this card/envelope combo in the Sizzix challenge for May.

I picked up some sun-loving perennials for my mother's front flower bed where they are sure to be happy and healthy for a long time to come.  BTW, mom loved my card and envelope!

Repeat Mother's Day idea

So I was trying to decide what kind of card to make my step-mother for Mother's Day when I remembered this embossing folder by Provo Craft.  After embossing it on white cardstock I colored the stems with several green pencils and the flower bits with a yellow and orange pencil.  Yellow Stickles was added to the flower bits.  Layered onto citrus green cardstock and tied up with a narrow yellow satin bow and my card was complete. 

After taking a photo of the card, editing it and putting it in the appropriate album on my computer I discovered that I'd used the same embossing folder on her card in 2011.  Oops!  But I used a different color combination, added paper lace, ribbon and a butterfly.  Hopefully she won't remember the image but this embossing folder is so versatile I do tend to use it a lot.

Anniversary card idea

I don't remember if I saw this idea on Pinterest or where (my rememberer is faulty at times) but I thought it was quite clever.  Here's my version:

The lavender base card is Bazzill cardstock.  Love the Sizzix strip die (Flagpole with Lantern & Sign by Karen Burniston) for the towel bar (scrap of brown cardstock), the towels, heart, trim and initials are also Bazzill cardstock.  The heart is a Sizzix die; the initials are Sizzix 'Type Set' strip die by Tim Holtz, and the trim is an EK Success border punch.

Sympathy cards

I needed some sympathy cards and remembered the Stampin' Up set (Thoughts & Prayers) I bought specifically for this sad occasion.  I'd seen several samples on Splitcoast Stampers that I thought I'd like to use as inspiration.  I liked them so well I ended up pretty much copying them.  Oh well, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery.

The first two are based on a card by Debra Currier (http://www.artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com) and the latter from Toni Storie's card (http://www.sweetpeasstory.blogspot.com).  You can see their cards on the Splitcoast site under the name of the stamp set.