More altered playing cards...for the men

Oh boy...I think I'm on a roll with coming out of my box!  It must be an age thing!  lol  Check out Claudine's newest challenge!

Dreamweaver's Translucent embossing paste; Studio 490 stencils (Yikes..Stripes, Basically Bricks); Art Impressions: Melvin J1620 and Floyd I1931; River City Rubber Works: Sag...1820-D and If it..4012-D; Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint (Modern Red, Dab of Yellow, Classic Teal); Ranger: Distress Paint (Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon, Peacock Feathers, Mowed Lawn), black soot distress ink, distress markers, Black Fude Ball Pen; watercolor paper; cancelled postage stamp; red marker; white card stock scraps; punchinella scrap

I've been wanting to use the 2 sentiments for a l-o-n-g time and just haven't found the right occasion.  Today is perfect!  lol

 
 





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.

'L' is for leaf

Have you used your masks and stencils lately?  Seems like they're all the rage lately.  Over on the Inspiration Emporium blog they've issued a challenge for them.  One lucky winner will be randomly chosen from all the entries to win a $50 gift certificate to the store.  Are you in?  I am...

I don't honestly remember what the background mediums are on this tag, nor the colors.  However, I do know that Bundled Sage distress paint is on top...I used it to mute the base colors since I don't care for the color in this medium and this seemed like a good way to use it.

At the top of the tag I've used a Studio 490 stencil with translucent embossing paste mixed with a drop or 2 of Peeled Paint reinker.  I tapped the paste with my palette knife while the stencil was still in place.  The added dimension makes for interesting texture.  Tim's alpha masks spell out the word 'leaf'.  You can barely see The Crafters Workshop leaf stencil (pinkish-red) all around the word. 

#8 tag; TH alpha masks; Sizzix tattered leaves die; TCW: Mini Leaf Frame Stencil; Studio 490: Lovely Leaves stencil; Dreamweavers: Translucent Embossing Paste; Ranger: distress paints, distress reinker, clear rock candy crackle paint, Claudine Hellmuth studio paint; Stampendous marble cube stamp; white sharpie; black micron pen; paper tape; chipboard letter

Masks and stencils...they're not just for journals!

So in love

Admittedly I'm finding working on themes of love and Valentines a bit tough these days.  The anniversary of our first date falls right before Valentine's Day so I have a number of 'love' occasions that call for a card...or 2. 

Over on the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group we're into the 2nd MakingArt challenge.  Lori has stepped away from Wendy's books this time and has asked the participants to incorporate the following items into their art: Pop 'N Cuts, a heart, glitter, and of course, at least one Studio 490 stamp.  No Pop 'N Cuts?  No problem!  Use a dimensional piece for the interior of the card.  Hey, we're not that strict around here!  lol

 I used numerous blue and orange distress inks on top layer of my card front then overstamped with the background text (Art From The Heart) in Jet Black Archival Ink.  In the lower left hand corner I smeared some of Wendy's embossing paste and immediately stamped in to it, misting the stamp first, and washing it right away afterwards.  Once dry, I added more orange inks to the top so you can see what was stamped (also from AFTH).

The heart (AFTH) was stamped into a glue pad then on my cardstock and quickly covered with Art Institute Glitter...a gorgeous bright fall orange.  Reminder to self:  don't use this glue again as it's not very durable.  Sigh.  An Sizzix mini arrow (TH) was cut from coordinating patterned cardstock and layered behind the heart.  A Martha Stewart silk ribbon bow finishes the heart.

I've layered several coordinating cardstock strips (cut with Sizzix dies and a Martha Stewart border punch) at the top, top middle, and lower parts of the card.

More coordinating cardstock was used to cut a 2nd medallion for the pop part.  A grungeboard heart and a Maya Road key complete the medallion.  The mini portrait dies were cut from kraft core core'dinations and sanded.  More cardstock and grungeboard hearts complete the card.  Behind the medallion the portraits and heart are on wire that kind of bobble when the card is opened.

This card certainly isn't your typical Valentine palette but I think I like it even better.

If you don't have the Pop 'N Cuts system I hope you'll look into getting it.  There are so many options for this and it makes cardmaking so easy and quick.  The hardest part for me is knowing when to stop adding elements!  lol

Crackle embossing paste

I recently picked up a jar of Dreamweaver's Crackle Embossing Paste.  Yesterday I finally found the time to try it out.  The instructions say to layer it over the flat black embossing paste.  Was that really necessary or could I use gesso or acrylic paint?  How would it affect the size of the cracks?

I found I didn't have to use the black embossing paste but it did seem to make larger cracks.  Using the CEP over white gesso gave me very small cracks and they appeared to be non-existent until I applied color.  Over the black gesso gave me the same very small cracks but you could see the black coming through.

The flower used Studio 490's white embossing paste (made by Dreamweaver's).  Once dry I put the stencil back in place.  Over that I placed some drywall mesh tape and colored over it using distress markers.  It kind of gives it a cross-stitched appearance.  This technique can be found on the Dreamweaver's site I believe.  I learned about it in a Dreamweaver's class a number of years ago.

The large heart and flower stencils are from Studio 490 while I created my own stencil using Tim Holtz's  Sizzix mini dies of the cameo people.

So Studio 490 is now offering gold and silver embossing pastes along with the white and black.  I hope to schedule another play day just for them real soon.

Medical update on my husband...he does have Stage 3B lung cancer.  The plan is to start chemo and radiation about Feb. 4.  Along the way will be plenty of tests and office visits to see if the treatment plan needs to be altered.  Again, I thank you for your support...I can't imagine walking this path by myself.

Red gingham Studio 490 style

It was a bit fiddly but I made a red gingham border for a journal page.  And because I used several Studio 490 stamps and stencils, this journal page will be entered in the first challenge of the year for the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group. 

First I placed the heart stencil on my page and taped it down with washi tape.  Using a blending tool I smudged red ink from the outside in, leaving the center lighter.  I stamped the large weedy spray in distress ink with the stencil still in place.  Around the edge of the heart I traced the outline using a water-soluble graphite pencil and smudged the line to soften the look.  The text inside the heart was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.

After the outer part of the stencil was removed I taped the heart itself over the image so I could work around it.  The honeycomb was inked with Black Soot distress ink and rolled around the page...in hit or miss fashion. 

I took the Dots & Stripes Borders stencil and rubbed more red distress ink over it then turned the stencil a quarter of a turn to create the look of gingham.  I placed the dot stencil down the centers and smushed Black Soot Distress Ink through a single row of dots.

With the Classic Words stencil I applied Wendy's new black embossing paste through 'always' and heat set it.  I moved the stencil and inked 'remember' in red distress ink.  I heat set the ink then repositioned the stencil so I could smear more black embossing paste and use the red version as a shadow.

The page seemed a bit empty so I recreated the heart, taping the heart in place then moving the outline stencil so the 2nd heart would appear to be in back of the first one.  I followed the steps as above.  Of course, you just can't use the honeycomb without the bee!  It was stamped on white Clearly For Art and cut out.  The wings were spritzed with Pearl Perfect Pearls Mist (only visible in person and at a certain angle - sorry!).

Studio 490 stamp sets:  Original Art (LCS091, Art For You LCS093
Studio 490 stencils:  Classic Words, Large Heart, Dots & Stripes Borders

So I leave you with the text...Always remember...great art often begins as creative chaos.  Yep, that about sums it up!

Read all about it

It's Stamptember over at Simon Says Stamp and Shows blog.  One of the challenge themes is reading, words, books, etc.  I chose to alter a fuschia composition book that can be found at most office supply stores for about $1.  In my journal I'll be logging in all the winning moments I can remember...in and outside the art world.  Some of my friends were teasing me about how lucky I was last month, so this prompted me to really think about this.  And yes, I really do seem to be pretty darned lucky, especially when it comes to random drawings. 

The following items were used:

Studio 490:  For The Arts (gentleman); Brick Wall (stencil)

Ranger:  Brushed Pewter d. stain; Sunshine Yellow, Lemonade alc. inks; Tattered Rose, Antique Linen, Old Paper, Vintage Photo, Gathered Twigs, Walnut Stain, Seedless Preserves, Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn, Iced Spruce, Frayed Burlap, Brushed Corduroy, Peeled Paint, Broken China, Rusty Hinge d. inks; Purple Twilight pigment ink; Pale Ochre, Venetian Orange, Olive, Jet Black archival inks

Tim Holtz:  tissue tape, grungeboard, Idea-ology

Dyan Reaveley:  Around The Edge stamp; stencils

Sizzix:  Leaf stem, shamrock, Holiday Lamppost (TH), Mini Bird (TH)

Misc.:  Lasting Impressions stencil, Dreamweavers embossing paste, watercolor paper, Yes glue, cellophane, Micron pens, olive Sharpie, paint chips, washi tape

By the way, in honor of the blog hop the randomly chosen winner gets a $100 gift certificate to Simon Says Stamp!!!!!   Even if you're not able to meet the challenge deadline (09-09-12 at midnight EST), just by leaving a comment on the blogs within the hop might find you winning a $25 shopping spree!