Thinking Inking

Felt Ornaments 2: Mitten with Snowflake

Welcome! I have a second felt ornament to share today. For this one I started by die-cutting two large mittens from Papertrey Ink's Oasis Green 100% wool felt with a Spellbinders Nested Mitten die template. Next I used my Create a Flake 2 die template  to cut a snowflake from Vintage Cream felt, as well as from one of the mitten layers. (The two layers have to be cut separately. Also, the Create a Flake 2 die template is still available in some stores, but not on the Spellbinders website.) 

My favorite part of this mitten is the snowflake inset. I gently removed the green felt star and replaced it with the cream felt star. I used a heat-bonding (iron-on) interfacing on the back to hold the two layers together, and then I blanket-stitched around the entire mitten after adding some trim pieces.

To trim the mitten I used Vintage Cream, Pure Poppy, and Harvest Gold wool felt. I hand-cut the red piece, but I used a Stars Five die template to cut the gold star piece. The finished size of the mitten is about 2-7/8" x 4". That's it for today--thanks for stopping by!

Let It Snow-flake!

Welcome! Today I have another simple Christmas card to share. It is totally inspired by THIS CARD by Darleen Adams on Splitcoaststampers. I loved her red snowflake--so homespun and sweet!

I knew that I had some Spellbinders Create-a-Flake Two die templates in my die stash, and they worked perfectly for this card. For the larger snowflake on top, I cut two cardstock snowflakes in addition to the patterned snowflake and glued the three together for added stability before mounting them on foam tape. The patterned paper is from Echo Park 's Wintertime collection, and the sentiment stamp is from Papertrey Ink's Tremendous Treats: Christmas set. I used a 6mm rusty bell, along with Enchanted Evening baker's twine.  That blanket stitch is one on my new sewing machine; I'm still enjoying using it!  

Well, that's it for tonight. Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas Poinsettia

Welcome!  I managed to get one more card made for the stash this morning and thought I would share it before we head into town to look at a game that our son thinks he needs. The mom and dad jury is still out, but inching closer to a decision in the plaintiff's favor.

I started with a few JustRite Stampers sets: Winter Words (clear), Musical Notes Labels Twenty (cling), and later in the process, Lace Borders (cling). I really like that I can mix and match so many of these sets--especially the Musical Notes Labels Twenty that works for pretty much anything. (Pssst--sale code at the bottom of the post)

I stamped the Labels Twenty image in PTI's Spring Moss ink and the Merry Christmas in Pure Poppy ink. The lace border was stamped with Versamark ink and heat embossed with an off-white embossing powder, which I sanded a bit to distress. I used several Spellbinders dies: Labels Twenty, Nested Pennants, Nested Leaves, and Anemone Flower Topper. Papers are from the Melissa Frances Deck the Halls 6" x 6" paper pad. 

Finally, I wanted to let you know that if you want some or all of the stamps that I used here, or if you have a JustRite wish list, this just might be a good time to go shop!  As JustRite's way of saying thanks for a wonderful year and as a little incentive for Santa to do some shopping FOR YOU, JustRite is running a Merry Christmas to You Sale!  Save 20% off you entire purchase December 8th thru the 19th by using this Coupon Code at check out JRSALE - please use all caps when entering your code.

That's it for today. I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Felt Ornaments 1: Star

Welcome! I've been hand-stitching some little felt ornaments over the past few days and finally got one finished and photographed for a post.  The star above is almost 4" across for one side tip to the other. I used three of five star die templates in the Spellbinders Paper Arts Stars Five set--numbers three and five to cut the outside front vintage cream star, number four to cut the inner harvest gold star, and number five to cut the cream back star. You could also go with just two layers and make the gold star the same size as the cream one, if you don't mind a two-toned edge. I used Papertrey Ink's 100% wool felt for the stars.

A word about felt: it is not all created equal, especially if you plan to die-cut it. I do sometimes buy other felt if I need a color that Papertrey doesn't carry, but I really like the weight and density of PTI's 100% wool felt. I have had problems die-cutting regular craft quality felt from the big box stores: it seems less dense and has more scraggly little filaments/hairs after being cut instead of cutting cleanly. So if you have tried to die-cut felt and have had real problems with it, it could be that you are using a less-than-stellar felt. . . Also, dies with more details tend to need a little extra finish-trimming, even if you use good felt. With the star, I did not need to trim anything by hand, With a snowflake die that I've used on another ornament, I needed to use detail scissors to trim a few places. Another hint: I run my felt through my Grand Calibur TWICE--forward, then backward before the plate makes it all the way through the first time--hope that makes sense.

I used a simple blanket stitch (great tutorial found here if you don't know how to blanket-stitch) to put my star together. I used some hand-dyed seam binding for the crinkly ribbon in the center, as well as some rusty bells for a splash of darker value in the center of all that light. This was a simple project--one  that you can work on when you are in waiting rooms, sitting in a car, etc., a perfect little project for this time of year. That's it for tonight--thanks for stopping by!

Peace: ETM

Welcome! I'm working on my Papertrey Ink December release projects this week, but I wanted to take a few minutes to post another easy-to-make, easy-to-mail card tonight. I seriously need to get some simpler, less time-consuming cards made still! One of my goals is to use my patterned papers while they are still current. Hey, I'm going to want new ones next year, even if I've hoarded my favorites from this year, right? 

I used two Papertrey Ink dies for this card front--no stamp sets, though I will use a stamped sentiment inside. Dies were Wonderful Words: Holiday Collection and Holly Jolly Collection. Papers are from the Authentique Wonder 6" x 6" collection. I used glitter on the word peace and popped it up on foam tape. A bit of sanding and stitching, and that's it! Of course, you could simplify and skip the stitching, but I need to stitch. . . ;-} If you are concerned about the berry button, you could also use a piece of glittered red cardstock for the berry--not much thickness there. That's it for today. Thanks for stopping by! 

Button Tree and 'Tis the Season

Welcome! I finally finished a project that was totally inspired by something I saw on Pinterest. It was the sweetest Christmas tree made of pink buttons, shown here if you have a Pinterest account, or here where it was orginally posted by Tia Bennett onTwo Peas.

Okay, so my tree is green and traditional, but I still had the most fun making it!  I bought a styrofoam cone in the floral department of a superstore, but the cone was so crumbly that I knew I needed to cover it before starting to add my buttons. I used some older  (2010) 12" x 12" Echo Park Christmas papers from the Everybody Loves Christmas line to cover the cone, making it about 12" tall before I added the star (Spellbinders Stars Five die template).

All buttons are from Papertrey Ink (Simply Chartreuse, Pure Poppy, Hawaiian Shores, and Harvest Gold). Sometimes you get large buttons in a bag; I typically use only small buttons on my cards, so I had quite a few of the large buttons as leftovers from several bags. They were perfect for my tree project! I started with the green buttons, specifically the largest green buttons.  I tied string bows or knots in several buttons but knew it would take me a year to finish if I tied them in all of the buttons. . . I glued the green buttons on and saved straight pins for my ornament-buttons. It probably took longer that way, but I wanted the pins to help the ornament buttons to stand out from the greenery buttons.

Of course I couldn't send you away without one more card for the stash too, right?  I used a focal image from Papertrey Ink's Tremendous Treats: Christmas set, colored with the following Copic Markers: R20, R24, R29, YG13, and YR21. For the background I used my Copic Airbrush System and BG13, with a Spellbinders Labels Eight die template left in place as my stencil. Sentiment is from PTI's Tiny Treats: Christmas set.

I used a glue pen to add some glitter to the center of the star, and colored the star hanger in with a Buttermilk (pale yellow) Spica Glitter pen. Well, that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. The winner of the Gifted Stamper class was posted just below this post, Tracy J. Congrats to Tracy!

Nicholas Sings Carols and GIVEAWAY!

This giveaway has ended.

Our winner is commenter number 101, Tracy J--congratulations, Tracy! I have e-mailed you and sent your e-mail address to Ellen Hutson. Thanks for playing, everyone!

_________________

Welcome! Today I have a couple of special things--a Lockhart image with a Copic tutorial, and a really great giveaway, courtesy of Ellen Hutson's new HOWnow School of Creative Arts. First, the details on the giveaway: Ellen has generously offered to give a winner from my blog an online class taught by Julie Ebersole, stamper extraordinaire. How do I know that you would love Julie's class? Well, I know that Julie is amazing, and that you probably need gift ideas! 

In her class, The Gifted Stamper:  One Dozen Easy-to-Make Gifts For All Occasions, Julie will guide you through twelve beautiful, easy-to-make gift ideas and projects suitable for any occasion. This interactive online class will feature a work-at-your-own pace schedule, supported with video tutorials and detailed downloadable PDF instruction sheets. Participate in a dedicated forum and gallery during class.

This fantastic class is only $36 and will run from December 1st through December 12th, but all content will always remain available to students. During class there will be fun prizes and a special discount code for all students. For complete details please visit HOWnow School of Creative Arts.

You will have until Saturday evening at 10pm CDT to leave a comment, from which I will use the random number generator to choose one winner. Simple! Now, on to my card for today. . .

I've used Karen Lockhart's (Lockhart Stamp Company) 2011 Limited Edition stamp, Nicholas Sings Carols. I've loved this series--you can probably see why! Patterned papers are from Echo Park's Holly Jolly Christmas 6" x 6" pad.

I stared with the trees in the background, using palette blending and the two Copic Markers shown above.

Next I added some sky and snow. I left a couple of spots uncolored for reflections in the glass of the snowglobe.  The one on the right is larger, because my primary light source is from the right. I thought I would toss in one more small light to bounce off the glass on the left side too. 

I had used blue-violets in the snow shadows and did not want the snowmen to melt right into the snowbanks; so I used the B41 just to make them stand apart from te snow a bit.

 

I used the blue greens here for the Snowdad and Nicholas's coats, along with the Snowlady's scarf. I used the Blue-Violets to deepen and cool the shadows.

 

Here I've added some reds.

 

I used a variety of markers to finish up several small areas, including two that are not pictured for the wooden base, E42 and E44.  Those Ciaos are G00 and G02--used on the carol book.

  

I used a Spellbinders Labels Four Small for the star-patterned piece of paper, a Labels Twenty for the ornament layer, and little leaves from the Presto Punch Petal Pack under the button.. Seam binding is dyed with Copic R35 and R29, and I painted and glittered a rusty bell to tie onto the bow. (The rusty one didn't show up well.) 

Thank you for visiting, and don't forget to leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a spot in Julie Ebersole's  The Gifted Stamper:  One Dozen Easy-to-Make Gifts For All Occasions class. Good luck!

P.S. Yes, if you were here earlier, my card looked a little different. . . You know how you wake up after posting late and feel like tweaking somehting? ;-}

Joy Banner

Welcome! I have another Christmas card to share with you tonight, this one made with a couple of JustRite Stampers clear sets, Market Place Clear Alphabet for the letters in JOY, and O Christmas Tree for the banners. Yes, they are Christmas trees, turned upside down. . . Ink colors for the banners and letters were Versamagic Tea Leaves and Papertrey Ink Pure Poppy. Papers are from a Melissa Frances Deck the Halls 6" x 6" paper pad.

I zig-zag stitched a string on top of the banners to hold them together, as well as stitching around the outside of the patterned paper. I used several Spellbinders Paper Arts die templates: Nested Pennants, Nested Lacey Pennants, Blossom Three, Standard Circles Large, and Standard Circles Small.  I dyed some off white seam binding with Copic Various Inks YG95 and YG63. I was out of Taupe pearl flourishes, so I airbrushed a white pearl flourish (Zva Creative) with Copic E35. One more Christmas card--DONE!

Tool Tidbits

I wanted to share one more thing with you in case you missed the tool focus article on Splitcoaststampers today. You can read more about the Light Beam Slim Light here. I've had a chance to try one of these for about three weeks now, and I absolutely love it! It's a cool (literally and figuratively) LED light strip; the 12" version uses only 3 watts of power, but is quite bright. In fact, I like it enough that we are planning to put them under our kitchen cabinets as well as in two more places in my studio. You can see how much it lights up my trimmer area below.

This is how my cutting area looked before the Slim Light, and that's with nine daylight fluorescent tubes in my studio! I did not adjust the brightness on the photo--what you see is what it is.

And here is the AFTER my 12" Light Beam Slim Light view--again, no retouching on light levels in either photo. I can actually SEE what I'm trimming now. That's why I'm ordering more. Thanks for stopping by!

Merry Kiss-mas

Welcome! Tonight I have Christmas card for you. I love Papertrey Ink's Tiny Treats series, and the Tremendous  ones are even better--more space for me to color!  I used the mistletoe image from Tremendous Treats: Christmas, paired with a coordinating sentiment from Tiny Treats: Christmas.

 

Shown above are the Copic markers that I used. The BG13 on on the end I used to airbrush the background, with my Spellbinders Small Label left in place as a stencil after I cut and embossed with it.

I stamped the image twice and colored and cut the bow from the second image. I used an extra fine white glitter on the mistletoe berries to give them a bit of sparkle. Patterned papers are from Papertrey Ink's Rustic Snowflakes pad, an oldie but still one of my favorites. This card is thin enough to be in my Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail series, but after I did some stitching, layering, and airbrushing, it wasn't exactly a quick card.  Still, I was pleased with it. That's it for today--thanks for stopping by!

A Merry Little Christmas: ETM

Welcome! Today I have another pocket card for you in the Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail category. I used the Papertrey Ink Front and Center Die #1 to cut the pocket, folding it at 4" from the straight end and then squaring up the sides by the bottom fold. I usually just use a double-sided patterned paper for the pocket, but this time I cut the base from PTI's Pure Poppy cardstock and layered just a patterned front for the top panel--I was almost out of that pattern and didn't want to waste what I had left! I stitched close to the edge to leave plenty of room for the inserted card.

Okay, I have to admit that I really wanted to put a glittery BELL on there! But in keeping with "Easy-to-Mail," I went for a thinner alternative. I used the little ornament from Love Lives Here: Holiday  stamped in Pure Poppy ink, then trimmed it closely and added Prisma Glitter to the center of the heart.

For the inside I used a sentiment from Christmas Poinsettia, as well as the greenery and berries from Love Lives Here: Holiday. There we have it--another Easy-to-Make, Easy-to-Mail card. I don't know about you, but I still have a LOT to do in the next month!

P.S. Almost forgot--the patterned paper on the front flap is from the My Mind's Eye 12 Days of Christmas 6" x 6" pad.