Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Using 140# watercolor cardstock I created my own plaid with flat paint brushes and distress inks and stains (Forest Moss, Shabby Shutters, Mustard Seed, Hickory Smoke).  I didn't always dry each color thoroughly before moving on to the next but I think that added to the look.  When I had the page completely covered in plaid, I misted it lightly and let it dry overnight.

I squished Black Soot distress stain on my non-stick craft sheet and added plenty of water.  Using my splatter brush I picked up enough color to randomly flick across the page.

I cut the cardstock to size and used a corner punch for the four corners.  The next layer is green and both rest upon a white A-2 card base.  More of the green cardstock was die cut using an old Sizzix shamrock die (38-0702) then misted with Perfect Pearls Mist in Heirloom Gold.

The sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly O295) was stamped slightly left of center in Jet Black archival ink. 

May your troubles be less,

and your blessings be more,

and nothing but happiness

come through your door.

In sympathy and friendship

Another bad week for friends and family...3 members within my circle have lost loved ones in a space of 4 days.  Here's one of the cards I made for a childhood who lost her father.

Rubber Stamp Tapestry SLE 18008 Fall Leaves and Acorns

Ranger: archival inks (Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Sunflower, Fern Green, Monarch Orange, Tiger Lily); distress stains (Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac)

Unknown cardstocks

My Sentiments Exactly S146-IIO stamp

RIP, Jiggs, you were a good man.  You've rejoined your wife and daughter in heaven.

Under the sea

*Bazzill light blue cardstock
*leftover alpha bits
*#8 tag (cut to fit A2 card front)
*Marvy wet look markers
*Tim Holtz stamps: Mariner, Nautical, Halftone & Rings
*Sizzix: Holiday Greens, Bubble Texture Fade
*Ranger:  Watering Can Archival Ink, distress markers & inks,
clear embossing powder, watercolor cardstock
*My Sentiments Exactly H179
*Versamark ink

Watercolors are perfect for sympathy cards

A friend from NJ recently lost his 92-year old sister.  I know the family loves watercolors as much as I do so this image was perfect.

The image is 'Gentian' by Art Declassified and was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink on watercolor paper.  I used various distress markers and a water brush to color the image.

I applied Versamark Ink to Tim Holtz/Sizzix 'Swirls' embossing folder.  I carefully placed the card front over the folder, pressing firmly all over to transfer the ink.  This was done a 2nd time but to the mat behind the image.

The message is from My Sentiments Exactly and was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.



This is the 5th sympathy card in the last month or so I've had to make.  I hope the trend doesn't continue.

18 pieces down

Week 9...continuing with the altered puzzle piece challenge.

I didn't look at the completed pieces before I started these two.  I used the same 'by the sea' theme and colors last week.  Sheesh.

My collection of embossing pastes only includes white crackle, no clear, so I used Distress Crackle Paint (Clear Rock Candy).  Wish I would have had stamped the map to cover more of the piece; oh well.

Here's what I used to alter my puzzle pieces:  Stampers Anonymous CS124 Warehouse District stamps; Stampers Anonymous stencils (Splatters, Bubble); Ranger distress stains (Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac); Sea Brights ( Pool, Purple Twilight); archival inks (Aquamarine, Deep Purple, Jet Black, Watering Can); distress stickles (Antique Linen); Studio 490 crackle embossing paste; Sizzix mini airplane; My Sentiments Exactly (H179); Hero Arts Printer's Type alpha stamps; paper starfish (gift from The Funkie Junkie)

It's puzzling...

Week 6 of the altered puzzle challenge.

Ingredients:  Spellbinders Harvest 1 die (S3-003); Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paint (Yellow Pastel, Altered Orange, Blank Canvas, Charcoal Black); Tim Holtz Distress Paint (Barn Door, Twisted Citron); Tim Holtz stencil (Harlequin); A Stamp In The Hand pear text (N-1766); My Sentiments Exactly (B352 word); Jet Black Archival Ink

Ingredients: Sizzix Tattered Florals Die; Clearly For Art (white); Ranger Archival Inks (Buttercup, Dandelion, Tiger Lily, Orange Blossom, Monarch Orange); Tim Holtz Distress Paint (Evergreen Bough, Mowed Lawn); Tim Holtz Distressables decorative paper; decorative paper clip; Ranger Orange Blossom Embossing Powder; brad; Idea-ology foliage; gold metallic marker

Wintry blast

Claudine is using another technique on this week's challenge for the Altered Playing Cards.  It's also about recycling.  She often uses paper towels under her work when she uses sprays.  So why not take those towels and create art?

 On this card I glued the towel directly to the gesso'd playing card.  Studio 490 embossing paste was used on Tim's Holiday Knits layering stencil and Clear Rock Candy Distress Stickles Dry Glitter was sprinkled over the top; let dry.  The JustRite stamps are pre-inked.

I tried to get the sprayed towel to transfer to the card but it wasn't happening so I sprayed the same colors onto the card and let them dry.  Same effect, just darker.  The earlier effect was way too pale.  On watercolor paper I stamped the boy and snowman; colored with distress markers.  Cut out and applied texture paste to the snow at the bottom of the card.  The sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly M373-IO) was stamped in Jet Black Archival Ink.  The snowflakes (Mini Holidays 3 CS114) were stamped in Cornflower Blue Archival Ink.







We had snow flurries last week and more are on tap for this week.  I'm more than ready for the air to get clear and dry and watch the flakes pile high and glisten. 

Still cozy

Unknown black & blue* cardstock, watercolor paper; Art Impressions folks; My Sentiments Exactly sentiment; Ranger's Jet Black Archival Ink & distress markers; Sizzix mini movers & shapers heart die

Happy anniversary to my brother-in-law and his wife!


* sounds more like one of my bruises!

Summer window box

So that blasted 'daisy' sentiment stamp was still on my desk and calling out to me.  Here's the card I made using it.

My first ever square card!  It's 5.5" square so you can calculate the inset pieces yourself.  The daisy background (Hero Arts) was stamped on white card stock and water colored using distress markers that were scribbled on my craft sheet.  I used the Ranger EmbossIt dabber (love this!) over the image best I could but not solidly.  Several blue distress inks were rubbed over the whole piece.  Turned out better than I thought.  The sentiment is by My Sentiments Exactly.

I didn't want to squish the bow so I devised a template that would make a box for the card.  The flap wasn't big enough to cover so I added a decorator sheet of card stock to it and fancy cut the edge with a Fiskars punch.  From 'Wordplay' (TH Sizzix die) I cut the recipient's name from card stock.  The letters were run through the Xyron and placed on the bottom of the decorated flap.  I had a kraft gift bag but it had stuff on the front I needed to cover.  I was going to use the same card stock as the envelope flap but came up with something even better.  I punched 2 holes in the back of the envelope box and 2 more on the gift bag so that the box covers the printing.  A bit of twine run through the holes keeps it in place.  Voila!  No one would be the wiser. 

A birthday hat is mandatory when you turn 70, isn't it?  lol

 
The card will accompany this window box garden.

One side

The other side

All the dies are by Sizzix...the Window Box was designed by Eileen Hull and from Susan's Garden (how appropriate!) comes Mini Daisy, Mini Petals, Pansy/Violet, Leaves-Fern & Ivy.  Other items I used include card stock, chipboard, crinkle ribbon, Flower Soft, floral wire and tape, distress inks, Claudine Hellmuth paints, Antique Linen Distress Crackle Paint.

I cut 2 windows and 1 box from chipboard.  All were painted with CH Sable Brown paint (but don't cover the areas that get adhesive); let dry.  Cover this with the crackle paint (again, don't cover the adhesive areas - use washi tape to keep out the coloring mediums).  Assemble.  The windows were glued together then attached to the back of the window box.  I wanted to make sure this was really stable.  Inside I glued 4 1" styrofoam balls so the picks would stay in place.  Perfect fit!  On top I spread spanish moss.

Using various colors of 80# card stock I cut multiples of the flowers and leaves.  Once they were formed (see the Sizzix site for detailed videos for how-to info) they were attached to toothpicks painted green.  Shape, place and adhere the floral wire before gluing on the ivy leaves. Some of the flower centers are just markers, some are flower soft (ivory tinted with yellow distress re-inkers) and some are glue/CH acrylic paint (violets).

'Plant' the garden as you like.  The bow was actually for the daisy tag in a previous post but it turned out too yellow-green.  It's just right for this window box display. 

The finished window box is approximately 6"x4"x1 1/4".  The flowers are all less than 1 1/4".  Yes, it is fiddly and time consuming.  Yes, you will need patience and perseverance.  Yes, allow plenty of drying time.  Yes, I would do this all over again.   And most definitely will. 

I can see this being planted with the dogwood blooms and forsythia branches for spring, mums and black-eyed susans for fall, and poinsettias and pinecones for winter.  Or maybe I'll make the wheelbarrow for the fall version.  Hmmmm.....

Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do

I've had this stamp sitting on my desk to use on another project when I decided it would be perfect to use for the 12 tags of 2013 - July.  Here it is mid-July and I just wasn't 'feeling' my patriotic images.  Best to go with the direction you're meant.

 

#8 tag, Tattered Florals movers & shapers dies, Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint, distress stains, archival ink, crinkle ribbon, distress inks, stamps (Mixed Media - honeycomb, Wallpaper & Wood - wood), tissue tape, memo pin, Hero Arts alpha (D), vintage button, sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly - O283)

I stayed pretty close to Tim's instructions other than the color palette and theme.

My garden is full of daisies...these white ones bring the outside in since it's too blasted hot to go out and enjoy them.

Card-making Sunday

I needed to spend some quality time in my art space today.  Our next door neighbors had 2 losses in their families this past week so I whipped up a sympathy card for each loss.  I balanced the sad occasions with a congratulatory card for friends who have opened their own riding stables in New Jersey.  This has been a long-time dream of theirs come true.  Just wish we could have been there opening day to help them celebrate.

ProvoCraft 'Bird Call' embossing folder; DCVW (Die Cuts With a View) white core cardstock; Bazzill cardstock; TH small oval diffuser; My Sentiments Exactly (sentiment); Jet Black Archival Ink

Stampin' Up 'Quilt Quips'; Jet Black Archival Ink; Bazzill cardstock; special ingredient*

Have you ever needed a fabric scrap but didn't have one on hand?  Or maybe you did but the color wasn't quite right?  There's no fabric on this card.  It's a *baby wipe that was used to wipe my craft sheet from a past project. 

Stampin' Up 'Wanted'; ProvoCraft 'Perfect Paisley' embossing folder; DCVW white core cardstock; Coffee and Rose Madder Archival Inks; brown distress inks; Inkadinkado sentiment; misc silk ribbon, twine













Going back to my art space now so I can work on some other projects!

Grungy Monday #2

Where does the time go???  The second Grungy Monday theme is to use Distress Ink with Claudine Hellmuth's Multi Medium.  This was so much fun!!!! Tim certainly has some wonderful ideas, doesn't he? 

I chose to use Tim's Tattered Florals die for my new stamp.  Using his Tag & Bookplates die I cut out a tag from his Vintage Shabby paper stash (one of the gray sheets).  I used Scattered Straw, Wild Honey, Rusty Hinge, Peeled Paint and Shabby Shutters Distress Inks.  Jet Black Archival Ink was used to stamp the sentiment (My Sentiments Exactly) and the flower advert (Tim Holtz).  Pearl Perfect Pearls was sprayed on the petals.  On the leaves (Tattered Leaves) was stamped the background image from Sketch Art by Wendy Vecchi.  I cut out a 5/8" gold circle and pricked holes all over it.  Turned it over and distressed it with Walnut Stain Distress Ink for a more realistic look.  A circle of foam tape is under it so the edges could be curved, again a more realistic look.  Black penstitching, a memo pin and some vintage ribbon finish off my tag.

BTW, the flowers and leaves were cut from some old crepe paper ribbon that has a pattern on the reverse side that wasn't my style.  I hate to waste things and since one side was plain it was perfectly fine to use for this more natural looking flower arrangement.

Scallops - they're not just for dinner

Just picked up the Scallops On the Edge die by Tim Holtz. I've been wanting this since the preview so I was tickled pink (see it?) to be able to use it right away. The front edge was die cut and so was a contrasting narrow strip for the inside right edge.

The image is from Penny Black (Brushed Tulips 2835K). I colored it with Tombow markers then misted lightly before stamping. The message on the tag is actually the title of the MSE stamp set and was the perfect size. I didn't ink up the year or company name. The small flower is from the same set (M101).

The rickrack scooted a bit...too late now, it's in the mail. Why didn't I notice this before?!?!? Grrrr....