Thinking Inking

Little Sheep

I wanted to share a full card made with that Primitive Beginnings set that I tantalized you with the other night; I think I liked my CPS version a bit better, but this one pleased me too. These sheep are fun!  They remind me of some collectible sheep that I saw in a gift shop in Pensacola once, back in my Florida decade. If you picked them up and turned them upside down, then would let out quite a convincing bleat. They came in different sizes and colors, and the different sizes all had different sounding bleats. (Yes, I stood there and turned them all upside down at least once. . .)

I stamped the grass line first (Versamagic Tea Leaves). Since I knew that I wanted to stamp my sheep on lighter cardstock and layer it, I didn't bother masking the sheep off; it didn't hurt to have a grass line running through them as long as it was covered by the vanilla layer. I stamped the large sheep next, then the smaller ones, leaving one set apart from the others to indicate that it had wandered away. The sheep are stamped in Versafine Onyx Black ink, and the trees in Versamagic Jumbo Java, Tea Leaves, and Key Lime. The sentiment is stamped in a retired SU color, Cranberry Crisp, and the ribbon is a stitched Cranberry Crisp as well. I stamped the sentiment, then die cut it with a plain circle die. I used some Pebbles Shimmery Pastel Chalks to tint both the grass and the sky a bit, and I sewed a variety of stitches around the focal image when attaching it to the Prism Blush Red dark base.

Tomorrow I have a post of an entirely different flavor for you--sweet but non-caloric. . . Have  a great day!

Credits
Stamps: Primitive Beginnings (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper: Kraft (SU), Blush Dark Red and Natural (Prism)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink;  Key Lime, Tea Leaves, and Jumbo Java (Versamagic); Onyx Black Versafine; Cranberry Crisp (SU retired)
Accessories: antique copper mini brad (Making Memories), Cranberry Crisp stitched grosgrain (retired SU); foam tape, Pastel Shimmery Chalks (Pebbles)
Tools: Sewing Machine, Spellbinders Plain circle die

Office Wear Goes Glitzy

Today I couldn't think of a thing to stamp--very unusual! Then I saw this glitter  embellishments tutorial by Kandis Smith for CPS, and I remembered buying glitter a long time ago. One thing led to another, and what do you know? I have a card for you!

I used Stampin' Up's Office Accoutrements set, along with a couple of CHF backgrounders, Large Polka Dot and Lined Paper. My pattern and color inspiration was from some cool Pink Paislee paper that I got just last week.  (I'm still hoarding it for just the right project!) Ribbon is SU, and ric-rac is probably May Arts--I'm not sure on that since I bought it in bulk. Mini brads are from SU's Rich Regals collection. Ink is Pink Passion and Brocade Blue, as well as Key Lime Versamagic on the little tag.

Both the tag and the long card are cut with my new Spellbinders dies--the Scalloped Long Rectangle and the tag dies. Card size is 3-1/8" x 6-1/4" and fits nicely into the SU small open end envelopes. I love being able to cut scalloped cards with the long rectangle dies! (The left edge is flattened because it is hinged on that side.)

So what are you waiting for? Pull out that glitter that's in the back of your stash and use it! Thanks for visiting.

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Credits

Stamps: Stampin' Up (Office Accoutrements), Cornish Heritage Farms (Large Polka Dot and Lined Paper)
Ink: Stampin' Up, Tsukineko
Inspiration Papers: Pink Paislee's Lunch Hour and Bottom Line
Ribbon: SU, May Arts
Dies: Spellbinders
Glitter: I think I got the assortment from Creativexpress.com

Birthday Fishes

We're back after a long weekend of traveling to a family graduation; I checked my e-mail only twice for about 10 minutes total--can you believe it?  Of course, I'm SO far behind in answering e-mail that I'm tempted to do a "select all" and "delete" and just start fresh. :-D  (No, I won't really do that.) My husband has the wood boiler fired up again, and our house (that was well under 60 degrees when we came home) is starting to warm up nicely.  So I'm back into the fray!

First I want to thank those of you who sent me links to where you found that threading water punch; that was so sweet of you!  I have already given my CC information to one place that I ordered it from, however, so I'd probably better wait to see if they come through. Thank you for your help though!

I needed a boy card tonight and chose my PaperTrey Pond Life set with its adorable little fish. I first stamped a polka dot pattern on Aqua Mist cardstock with the Polka Dot Basics set.  I find it simplest to align the polka dots when I use a gridded acrylic block. I lay my stamp on the grid very carefully so that I can follow the lines on the grid to stamp my dot pattern. If you notice in the picture below, my grid aligns to the cardstock on the bottom and left edges. (The angle of the picture skews it a bit, but it does align on the edges from directly overhead.) For my next stamped image, I can align the same lines that are aligned at the edge of the paper in this version as well.

Here's what my dotted background looks like. I almost always stamp a larger background than I need so that I can make the dots run out fairly evenly on opposing sides when I trim the cardstock, and so that I can pick the best areas in case I have any lighter areas.  I did not stress over placement, and my dot pattern isn't perfect. But it's close enough to look good on a card front.

Next, after cutting the cardstock to 3-1/8" x 6-3/8", I penciled in three marks as guides for my 1-3/8" circle punch. (I used circle dies probably 95% of the time, but occasionally something is simpler with a punch.) I pushed the punch up as far as it would go onto the cardstock, then centered these lines inside the punch.

Next, I placed foam tape on the back side of the mat layer since I wanted it to float above the base layer a bit.

The white cardstock base is cut 6-1/2" square, then scored at 3-1/4". I peeled the papers off of the backs of the foam tape bits, then placed it down on the base card layer. Next I inked the fish stamp with two colors of chalk ink, Mango Madness over the whole fish, then Pumpkin Spice over just the lower edges and tail.

After stamping all three goldfish, I used the Aqua Mist ink and the bubbles stamp to add bubbles, rotating the stamp each time for a bit different orientation of the bubbles.

For the sentiment I used some Summer Sunshine twill and stamped it in Versamagic Turquoise Gem ink. I first cut my twill as long as I needed it to be in order to tie a knot, then taped it down to my desk so that it wouldn't shift while I stamped it.  Again, a grid block is very helpful in getting sentiments straight. After letting the "birthday fishes" sentiment from the Pond Life Sentiments set dry for a couple of minutes, I tied my knot and stamped an inside sentiment. That's it--a simple boy's card. If you wanted to kick it up a notch, you could turn it into a gel card as Nichole did here. Another option would be to put a transparency layer on the back of the Aqua Mist layer for aquarium walls. I really love this Pond Life set, having very few sets that are boy-appropriate.

Thanks for visiting!

Little lamb, have you lost your way?: CPS 62

It's CPS Sketch 62 time, and I have a new set of stamps! I am not usually drawn to Primitive Americana images, but I kept going back to this set every time I visited the Cornish Heritage Farms site for several weeks. Finally I decided to order it since I had nothing remotely similar in my stamp collection.  The verdict? I love it! For this CPS Sketch, I knew that I needed a fairly large focal image. I chose the tree and the Simplify sentiment. That worked out pretty well, but it still seemed to need something--you know how that is. When I saw the little sheep image and the "Have you lost your way?" sentiment, I knew exactly what my card needed.

I stamped the sheep twice--once on the Kraft background, and once on a scrap of natural/ivory cardstock. I cut closely around the ivory version and used foam tape to apply it on top, letting the legs show from the kraft layer. For the tree, I used three Versamagic colors: Jumbo Java, Spanish Olive, and Tea Leaves. I used a Deco Blue Prismacolor pencil for the sky behind the tree. For the "Simplify sentiment, I inked the stamp in Red Brick Versamagic, then coated the edges with Jumbo Java for a slightly two-toned look. Finally, I distress the cardstock edges and sewed the Kraft Layer to the rust layer before tying on some Summer Sunshine twill and an aged copper clip.

This little lamb tugs at my heartstrings, and I know that I'll enjoy using him in the future! Hope you get a chance to play along with the CPS Sketch for this week.  Thanks for visiting!

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Credits
Stamps: Primitive Beginnings (Cornish Heritage Farms)
Paper: Kraft (SU), Desert Coral Dark and Natural (Prism)
Ink: Antique Linen Distress Ink; Red Brick, Spanish Olive, Tea Leaves, and Jumbo Java (Versamagic)
Accessories: linen thread and aged copper hardware (SU), Summer Sunshine twill (PaperTrey Ink); foam tape, Deco Blue Prismacolor pencil for sky around tree
Tools: Sewing Machine, Cuttlebug tiny tags die

(A full-view of this card will be posted on the Card Positioning Systems site this week.)

"Charming" Pink Tulips (warts and all!)

I love tulips! Some of my favorite stamps or stamp sets through the years have been tulip sets. I wish that you could see this little 2" x 2" charm in real life; it has a three-dimensional look to it because I tried a layering technique that I saw in a book by Lisa Bluhm of Simply Swank. She has used little vintage photographs, layered to form a tiny shadowbox effect. I thought that I could try a simple version with layering  a stamped image.

First I stamped two of the tulip images and colored one in fully. The second one I colored only the parts that I thought I would possibly cut out and use as a top layer. (Copic markers that I used are all pictured here.)

Next I carefully cut out around the parts of the second piece that I wanted to place on my top layer.

Here you see both layers laid out on the 2" x 2" pieces of memory glass that I was sandwiching together to form the charm. I have in order: glass, upside down piece of background paper that will show on the back, colored full image, glass, colored partial image, and glass.

I used a tiny bit of adhesive to attach the top tulips to the glass to make sure that they would stay in registry when I picked up the piece to wrap it in copper foil tape. If you look carefully, you can see a bit of the dimension here.

Next I wrapped my three layers of glass/art sandwich in wavy copper foil tape--really cool tape--and burnished it well. (Glass must be clean: free of  hand oils, dust, and fingerprints. Trust me. I've soldered fingerprints inside something before.)

Here's where the "warts and all" part comes in: I was almost finished soldering except for adding a decorative hanger at the top. I took my small clamps off to use them to help hold the top piece, and I put a large tension clamp on the lower left edge of my piece. All of a sudden, I heard that sickening pop that spelled the end of the first try. I had to  melt the solder off, tear the tape off, rescue my colored art, and start over with new tape and glass. (Two of the glass pieces can be rescued when I have time to clean the sticky off of them.)

On the second try, I left the butterfly off; I wasn't sure if he added, or if he didn't look quite right. So I opted for a larger corner piece as a top and left the butterfly off.

If you would like to know more about the mechanics of soldering in a good step-by-step tutorial, check out Ellen's post here.  I won't be around a computer for a couple of  days; but if you leave questions in the comments section, I'll try to address them when I have computer access again. Thanks for visiting!

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Credits:

Stamps: Tulips by Lockhart Stamp Company
Soldering iron, equipment, and accessories from Ellen Hutson, LLC.
Markers from Copic by Imagination International
Resource Book: Simple Soldered Jewelry and Accessories by Lisa Bluhm

Matted Scallops Tutorial: Monogrammed Card

Like half of the rest of the stamping world, I've been looking for one of the elusive Fiskars Threading Water punches, with no luck. (But I'm on two waiting lists!) In the meantime, I thought I'd keep making scallops the old fashioned way. I like deep scallops, but sometimes those scallops need a mat layer in order to make them show up well. It dawned on me that if I used both my SU corner rounder punch and my SU slit punch, I should be able to get a deep scallop and mat it in a shallower scallop. I'm probably not the first person to have had this "eureka!" moment, but I haven't seen it posted elsewhere that I can recall, so I thought that I would share it with you in case you hadn't thought of it yet. You can click on any of these pictures to see them in a larger format, if you wish.

First, the card details: I chose some Webster's Pages papers, Snickerdoodle and Lulubelle from the Pink Lemonade Collection, to showcase my whimsical monogram using the Curlz font DIY Monogram Stamper Kit. I loved how the flowers in the border of the monogram worked with the flowers in the background paper! I inked the monogram with two different colors of chalk inks, Versamagic Pink Grapefruit and Sage, as shown below. I then used my Spellbinders Plain and Scalloped Classic Circle dies to cut and emboss both the monogram and its mat layer.

Next, for the scallops, I used my Stampin' Up Slit punch AND my SU corner rounder punch with its base removed. To punch the deeper scallops, use the Slit punch, as shown in step two.  It helps to have good lighting since you need to be able to look through the bottom of the punch and align your next punch on the edge of your previous punch.  (Ignore the markings on the bottom of my punch. They are there for a different project.)

After you have completed a row of scallops the length that you want for your card front, this is what your paper will look like (3). Probably many of you have done it this way many times before. **Save the scrap of paper that you punched off in step 2. **  The next part is  going to be a mat layer with a shallower scallop (4).

For the shallower mat layer, use your corner rounder punch. (You will have to remove its base. Do so very carefully; I have broken two of these by pulling a bit too far!) If you look carefully at the picture on the left, you should see at the lower edge of the shape being punched that there is a little dark area. That is the edge of the previous punch, and that is about the amount of overlap you need in order to come out the same on both sets of scallops.  When you finish punching the mat layer, it should align with the deeper scalloped layer as shown below. If it doesn't, you may need  to adjust the width of your punch by either tightening  or loosening the closeness of scallops in one layer or the other.

For my monogram card, I did not punch holes in my scallops since the base cardstock was close enough in value that the holes wouldn't have shown up well, but I want to show you the simplest way to get the holes in the scalloped layers. First, adhere the scalloped layers together so that they don't shift in next step. Remember the piece of scrap that you had left over back from step 2?  You will need it now to mark the position of your holes. Flip the scrap upside down and use the points as guides to place marks for holes (6).

Next, if you have a Crop-a-Dile, set its 1/8" hole depth at whatever depth you want you holes to be. Using a good light, center the marks, push the punch up as far as it will go onto the paper, and punch each hole. (This takes much longer to explain than to do!)

You should now have a perfect row of matted, hole-punched scallops. (And you'll have a new appreciation for that Threading Water punch when someone gets them in stock again!) I hope that you find one, but until then, you can just do it the old-fashioned way with me. . . until my punch comes. ;-D

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For sake of comparison, the picture below shows two different  shapes of scallops; in the first picture, you have the two-punch scallop that I showed in the steps above. In the second row, you have a double-rowed scallop done with only ONE punch--an SU corner rounder punch (old version--I don't have the new one) with its base removed. I like the look of the two-punch one a bit better, but  the second way is marginally simpler to get the scallops aligned correctly with. Both ways work. I hope that this was helpful to someone!

 

Credits
Stamps:    Curlz font DIY Monogram Stamper Kit
Cardstock:  Natural (Prism)
Paper: Snickerdoodle and Lulubelle from the Pink Lemonade Collection by Webster's Pages
Ink:  Sage and Pink Grapefruit (Versamagic)
Accessories: Groovy Guava stitched grosgrain (SU), green ric-rac (May Arts), buttons (Foo-fa-la),
Tools: Spellbinders Nestability Classic Plain and Scalloped circle dies

 

A "Cheery" Hello

I've been playing with my CHF backgrounders this week in celebration of CHF's Backgrounder Blitz.  I just figured out tonight that we were supposed to be meeting specific challenges with the backgrounders! (Yes, color me clueless. . .) So, this isn't necessarily the backgrounder challenge, but it is in the backgrounder ballpark anyway. (If you check out that link above, you will see that there are prizes involved.)

I started with a 3-1/2" x 5" notecard and coordinating envelope here, then stamped the Canvas backgrounder on Kraft cardstock in Adirondack Espresso ink, and the Polka Dots backgrounder on Prism Blush Red medium cardstock, with Versamagic Brick Red chalk ink.

I had already prepared my inchie art, Cherries, in advance, using the Copic Sketch markers shown on the left. It was a struggle to make myself use this inchie on a card rather than soldering it up into a charm! (If you're an "inchie person," don't laugh at me!) It's just that after I spend an inordinate amount of time perfecting one square inch of real estate, something inside of me wants to preserve it for posterity. OCD? Who knows! Do you think my eight year old will ever marry a woman who likes to wear inchie charms?  Sheesh! One more thing to add to the list of qualifications! :-D

I used my Fiskars small scalloping scissors to cut a pale yellow cardstock to layer under the red, then sewed the two layers toegther. Next I matted the inchie in pale yellow, Intense Kiwi, and Spring Willow Dark.  The scalloped darker green mat is cut diagonally from a smaller square Spellbinders Nestability die cut. I chose natural twill and antique copper mini brads to finish the card, then stamped some Itty Bitty Cherries on the envelope and colored them as well.  I used some Antique Linen Distress ink to age all of my edges since this whole card had an antique farmhouse feel to me.

I bet you're wondering if I'm going to pull this card apart and solder that cherry bowl up, aren't you? Time will tell. . .  Have a lovely day!

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Credits

Stamps: Cherries and Itty Bitty Cherries by Lockhart Stamp Company; Canvas and Polka Dot backgrounders by Cornish Heritage Farms
Ink: Memento black, Adirondack Espresso, Red Brick Versamagic
Cardstock: Kraft and notecard (SU), Frosted Yellow, Blush Red Medium, Intense Kiwi, and Spring Willow Dark (Prism)
Markers: Copic Sketch markers by Imagination International
Accessories: twill tape, Antique Copper Mini brads (Making Memories)
Tools: Spellbinders Nestability Scalloped Square dies

Cookin' Up Some Love: CPS 61

Here's a sneak peek at my CPS Sketch 61 card for this week--Cookin' Up Some Love. (In my native Southern, that's "luuuuv, y'all.") I knew that I wanted this Baked with Love CHF set as soon as I saw it on some of the CHF blogs a few weeks ago; Kim Hughes does a fabulous job with both her line art and sentiments.

I incorporated four inchies into the sketch, as well as my new stamps, and new Basic Grey Cupcake pad. Sentiment is heat-embossed in SU's Winter White EP, a slightly off-white embossing powder.  I used my SU Slit punch to make a passageway for the ric-rac to travel through and a "nest" for my button.  I stamped the images (colors shown below), then just added a bit of Copic W-1 marker for shadow areas. (I tried another version in which the images were fully colored, but it seemed busy with this patterned paper.)

I hope that you have a chance to play with the CPS sketch this week!  Thanks for visiting.

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Credits

Stamps: Baked with Love by Cornish Heritage Farms, Kim Hughes Collection
Paper: 6" x 6" Cupcake pad by Basic Grey
Cardstock: Blush Red Dark, Intense Kiwi by Prism; Stamper's Select White by PaperTrey Ink
Ink: Watermelon, Stonewashed, Citrus, and Lettuce Adirondack inks (available at CHF), Versamark
Accessories: Ric-rac by May Arts, button by Foof-fa-la, Winter White Embossing Powder by SU
Tools: Copic Markers: W-1, O; Spellbinders Nestability Plain Squares

Simple Little Things

Today I want to share a card that I made with the PaperTrey Ink Anniversary Set, Simple Little Things.  Basically, if you purchased twelve different PTI sets in the first year, you were eligible to receive this set for free! It's a useful and lovely collection of patterned stamps and sentiments that I am sure I will use over and over.

I made this card as a serious illness or sympathy card. For the base, I stamped the "may you find peace" sentiment repeatedly in Aqua Mist ink on Poison Ivory cardstock, finishing the pattern with one Pearlescent Chocolate Brilliance-inked sentiment.

After stamping the repeating pattern in chocolate ink on Aqua Mist cardstock, I topstitched around the Aqua and Ivory layers, matted with Prism Birchtone Dark cardstock. (Birchtone Dark is my only brown cardstock that does not have a reddish cast--useful at times!)  Next I  added an A Muse micro dot twinkle sticker to the center of each pattern, then dotted some White Opal Liquid Pearls on the remaining four dots in each pattern.  (I can't remember where I ordered the brown satin ribbon--sad because I love it!) I used just a light sponging of Antique Linen Distress ink to the edges for a slightly vintage feel.

If you'd like to check out more pieces made with the Simple Little Things set, see this gallery.  Thanks for visiting!

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Credits

Stamps: Simple Little Things
Cardstock: Aqua Mist, Poison Ivory (Arjo Wiggins), Birchtone Dark (Prism)
Ink: Pearlescent Chocolate Brilliance
Accessories: Brown satin ribbon (Sorry--can't remember where I ordered it from!); A Muse Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers; White Opal Liquid Pearls

Sending You Smiles

Our snow piles are rapidly disappearing! In honor of seeing the ground again, I wanted to share a Spring-y card today. I stamped my checkered butterfly image in Black Brilliance ink on Neenah Classic White cardstock, then colored it with the Copic markers pictured. (The marker with the blank end is an empty marker that I filled with blender fluid and a few drops of YR31 for a soft yellow glow that is easy to blend into the background.) Before cutting it out with my Spellbinders Classic Rectangle die, I decided to make the image off-centered to leave room for a pierced trail. I used my scalloped rectangle die to cut a mat from Frosted Yellow cardstock.

For the background (and in keeping with the Cornish Heritage Farms Backgrounder Blitz), I chose two backgrounders: Paisley and Petite Pattern. I stamped these in Colorbox Rouge Fluid Chalk ink on Perfect Baby Pink cardstock, then spliced them together into one layer before adding pink ric-rac (May Arts) and Lemon Zest Satin ribbon (PaperTrey).  I'm loving buttons these days and was gratified to find three in my stash that worked with my color scheme.  I chose a sentiment from Thoughtful Florals, then spent 20 minutes trying to decide where to place it! In the end, I decided to treat it like a little laundry tag and put it on the side of the picture.  Finally, I added some Stardust Stickles. (Does anyone else always manage to get your hand in the Stickles before they dry? If you keep an x-acto knife on your desk, you can usually scrape the offending smear right off if you work quickly. Trust me; I'm experienced in this. . .)