Thinking Inking

Merry Kissmoose: Posted on the CLASSroom

Hello, friends!  It seems like it's been a while since I posted. I was the Thanksgiving cook for my husband's family, and since then we've been trying to finish clearing out my unfinished basement work room so that Rick can begin putting up some drywall for me. (Yay! No more exposed wall studs, cement blocks, or extension cords, I'm hoping!) Tonight I wanted to tell you how very much I appreciated your Thanksgiving wishes--you've been a blessing to me, and I am grateful!

I have a card posted on the CLASSroom blog here today, and I will have another post on my blog around 11pm tonight (Sunday) as well. Isn't that moose the cutest?  He's from the Kim Hughes Christmas Critters set, and I had a great time coloring him with my Copic markers. I'm thinking that he might need some mistletoe to go with that holly. . .

Thank you for visiting!

Give Thanks

Today I want to express my  gratitude for many things; the one that most closely concerns you, my blog friends, is that I'm grateful for so many of you who bless me daily with your visits and encouraging words.  I realize that it takes time, and that time is an invaluable resource. Thank you, from my heart! The rest of my post is more personal than usual--just a ramble-warning here. I think I'll post my card details next, and then continue on the subject of gratitude.
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Product Details:
Stamps: Brayton Paper Crafting Font Ensemble by Just Rite Stampers
Cardstock: Chocolate Malt Double Mates by World Win Papers; shimmery vanilla
Ink: I didn't have an ink color that was just right for this cardstock color, so I inked my letters first with Black Versamagic, and then applied the Jumbo Java Versamagic on top of the black (on the rubber) to get a darker, more neutral brown; Antique Linen Distress ink
Tools: Spellbinders Curved Rectangle die, Martha Stewart Lace Edge Punch, Sakura Stardust Pen (I colored the embossed pattern with the stardust pen), sewing machine; two Cuttlebug A-2 Embossing folders (The dark cardstock is embossed with a script background, though I wasn't capturing it in the light. I think the other one may be called birds and vines--something like that!)
Accessories: buttons from buttonsgalore.com; kraft taffeta from Stampin' Up

Thanks for visiting, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

The rest below is a ramble, purely unrelated to stamping, but very much related to gratitude, in case you want to keep reading.

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Though it may sound cliche,  I am truly thankful for my family. I was married in my early thirties--later than most of my friends. I had a fulfilling teaching job and ministry opportunities, and a little part of me didn't really expect to get married. I often told people who asked, seeming to think that singleness was a fate worse than death, that I had a house, and that I knew how to change a tire and change my oil. What on earth did I need a husband for? I'm grateful that God blessed me with a kind, hard-working, steady-as-a-rock husband. I told him the first time he called me that I hoped he wasn't wife-shopping, because I definitely wasn't husband-hunting. Then we were married six months later. . .  I'm also thankful for our son; children are indeed "a gift from the Lord," and I peek around the corner into his bedroom every night after he's asleep, still in absolute amazement that we were blessed with him. 

I'm thankful for my parents and sister, as well as my husband's family, all of whom are a great blessing in our lives. (Thanks for teaching me to change my oil, Daddy, so I could wait all those years for Rick!) I am grateful for the many people who have invested in my life over the years, generally with far more patience and grace than I deserved. Finally, I am grateful for a Heavenly Father Who "daily loadeth us with benefits,"  redeems us, and forgives us again and again.

Thank you for indulging me in a ramble as well, dear reader! Happy Thanksgiving to you and those whom you love.

Floral Frenzy Challenge: PTI Blog Hop

I'm cutting the deadline close on this one! We had our first family get-together tonight, and I just ran in the door. I'll post my finished PaperTrey Ink Blog Hop card now, and I'll edit and add the step-by step part over the next hour or so, if you'd like to know how I got there. [It's now added below.]  Here was the PTI blog hop challenge:  "This month's challenge is to build your own floral embellishment for a card or 3D item.  It can be created with die-cuts, punches, stamp images that have been cut-out and layered, slit scalloped punches, you can crochet or sew one, the list could go on and on!  You can use interesting materials like newsprint, felt, fabric, metal, cork, vellum, patterned papers, etc."

Directions are now below. Thanks for visiting!

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The Recipe
Stamps: Out on a Limb Sentiments by PaperTrey Ink
Cardstock: Lemon Tart, Vintage Ivory, Spring Moss (also PaperTrey Ink)
Ink: Ripe Avocado, Sweet Blush (PTI), Antique Linen Distress Ink
Tools: Scor-Pal, Spellbinders Tags Trio die, two oval punches (SU)
Accessories: Lemon pearls; Lemon Tart Satin (PTI)

The Process:
Step 1: I ran my Lemon Tart cardstock through a paper crimper several times and in several directions to soften the cardstock and try to break it down so that I could pull it apart and have a textured side.

Step 2: I used a couple of oval punches (Stampin' Up) to punch several ovals for petals. I did not use all of these petals. I had punched enough to make several flowers, but as long as one flower took, I figured I'd stop there.

Step 3: I sponged the top edges lightly with Sweet Blush ink in order to make the petals look a bit like a Peace Rose's petals. Next I rolled the ovals tightly at the base and more loosely at the top to start forming a rose. I used glue as I worked, and it was a messy proposition--plenty of crinkling, pinching, and rearranging! (There's probably an easier way; this was a total experiment.)

Step 4: Here is the finished rose.  I forgot to take a picture of the leaves as I worked, but I crimped the Spring Moss cardstock the same way as the Lemon Tart, and then freehand-cut the leaves before sponging them with some Antique Linen Distress ink and crinkling them into a leafy shape.

Step 5: For the grid background, I used a Scor-Pal and followed the same process that I illustrated in this post from a few months back.

Here's a close up. Now, please don't ask me how I'd mail this thing! But, hey, the challenge was just to make a flower, right? Nichole never mentioned mailing it. ;-)  Thanks for visiting, and I can't wait to see what the rest of you come up with!

 

Warm, Wooly Mittens: CPS Sketch 92

How about a fun little card and a simple technique today? When I was at the Copic certification class this past July, Marianne demonstrated a couple of textural applications for Copic blender fluid, one of which fit perfectly with the stamps I chose for this week's CPS 92 Sketch.

I chose PaperTrey's Pure Poppy and Vintage Ivory cardstock, paired with Stampin' Up's Always Artichoke cardstock for the base and card layers, and then stamped backgrounds using Polka Dot, Scratched Grid, and Leaves Backgrounders (Cornish Heritage Farms), as a backdrop for my focal image.

For the focal image I paired CHF's Winter Vintage Signage set with Karen Lockhart's Itty Bitty Mittens. Now, for the fun part: the mittens that I had colored with my Copic markers, pictured here along with a refill of clear blender fluid, looked just too smooth for mittens. They needed some nubby texture.

Enter the paper towels--some name brand ones with the puffy, quilt-y surface.  I saturated a bit of paper towel with clear blender fluid, and then laid it down on and lightly tapped it on the colored mittens, lifting it within a a very few seconds.  The clear blender fluid pushes ink out of the areas that it comes into contact with and consequently fades them. (I often use a clear blender to lift out a highlight after I'm finished shading something.)

After cutting and embossing the focal image with a Spellbinders Classic Oval die, I cut out the mittens and mounted them on foam tape to add a bit of dimension.  I was pleased with the texture that the clear blender fluid and paper towel added. If you are experimenting with Copic markers, go find some interesting textures--burlap, gauze, terrycloth--anything absorbent and interestingly textured.  Try it! It's simple and really adds something to the right image. Please note: subtractive texture works best on medium to dark marker values; it needs contrast in order to show up. Also, if you are interested in learning more Copic techniques, you would find Marianne's blog extremely helpful, as she explains the ins  and outs of Copic marker techniques.

Thanks for visiting, and have a lovely day!

Christmas Poinsettia

I have a Christmas card for you today; when I saw this little Poinsettia Christmas set, I added it to my order of Verve Plain Janes. I liked the poinsettia, but I loved the sentiment and knew that it would fit beautifully into one of my Spellbinders Double Ended Tag dies. (It was close, but it did fit.)

I stamped the poinsettia on Natural White cardstock, then colored it with Copic markers. (Sorry about this, but I don't have the marker colors for you today; I colored the flower, took a picture, and put my markers away a few days ago, but then I had a program crash and lost a few pictures.) Next I  chose some papers from Cosmo Cricket's Oh Joy Collection, Yuletide and Mitten, Mitten, as background papers. I used a new Spellbinders border die, the Deckle Border, for that vanilla strip. I sanded it a bit to emphasize the embossing, and then sewed it onto the background layer.  On top of that, I  sewed a little green strip from the back of the Yuletide paper to add a dash of color. The sentiment is stamped in SU's retired Cranberry Crisp ink and die cut with a Spellbinders Double Ended tag die. To fill in the brad holes, I chose a couple of the Kandi Corp hot fix crystals. A bit of Antique Linen Distress ink on edges finished the card off--one more for the stash!

Thank you for visiting.

Classic {Guy} cards: the CLASSroom

Good morning! I have a little trio of guy-cards posted on the CLASSroom blog today. This was in effort to combat the total lack of available masculine cards in my otherwise adequate card stash.

I hope you have a lovely Sunday. Thanks for visiting!

The Basics
Stamps: Birthday Centers by Mono Lisa Moments/Cornish Heritage Farms
Paper: Basic Grey Granola
Accessories: Granola Buttons, 3/8" twill,

Simple and Sweet: Just Rite

I think it's becoming a habit of mine to use the word simple. When I refer to a card as simple, I usually mean that if I'd known where I was headed when I started working, I could have arrived at my destination in half an hour or less.  Reality is that I usually don't know where I'm going with a card (beyond the defined boundaries such as stamp set or other specific product to be highlighted), and may take four hours to wander there before hitting upon something that pleases me. 

Why the ramble today? Just to let you know that you're not alone if something simple takes a long time to get that way! You'll have pieces that you love, that took only minutes. But most often, it's just plain work. (Granted, it's more fun than washing windows or dishes though!)

This little card (4-1/4" square, folded) was one that I started, knowing only that I wanted to use the snowflake stamp from Just Rite's Christmas Ensemble. It's clean, fresh, graphic. It appeals to me. But I wanted to try to work around the Happy Holidays part; I'm generally an old-fashioned Merry Christmas girl. I thought about using a ribbon with a big pretty bow in the middle, and adding a tag that said Merry Christmas. The problem was that the bow covered too much of the snowflake. Hmmm. . . (More on this later.)

My next issue was that I have all sorts of lovely patterned papers and wanted to use them--give them some love. But I needed some visual quietness today. My favorite patterns seemed to overwhelm the single snowflake. I pulled out some World Win Papers that I'd been sent and found this rich, double-sided and duo-toned cardstock (DoubleMates Autumn Red) that was the perfect color. (The back side is darker--see the mat under the snowflake? That's the back color of the cardstock.) I paired that cardstock with a piece of Cosmo Cricket Oh Joy paper (Mitten, Mitten)--the plainer side--just so I could get a layer in that I could sand and distress.  And since my focal image was obviously going to be a circle, repeating that circle on a different scale made sense. I considered rhinestones to add bling to the snowflake, but they looked a little too dressy. Ivory pearls worked much better--elegant but understated.

Now, back to the "Happy Holidays v. Merry Christmas" part: I used the 25 point Brayton letters to spell out Merry Christmas on one of the blocks from the Harmony Rectangular Set, and then stamped the words in Versamark on PTI's Gold cardstock, embossing in their Filigree Detail Gold Embossing Powder.

The new sentiment is longer than the old one was, but to help compensate for the added length, I layered extra foam tape under the center of the sentiment and put flat glue dots on other end, causing it to bow out slightly on the flat part center of the "Happy Holidays." That's it--now you have two sentiment options for this snowflake stamp.

Don't forget that if you have trouble getting a perfect image with the solid stamps, Sharon Johnson has written an excellent  article on how to condition these stamps. 

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Just a wee bit of enabling:

In case you have been considering getting the Just Rite Stampers Christmas Ensemble,  a great deal came through my e-mail today--a buy one, get one free offer on several products. You can buy one for a friend's Christmas present, and still get one to play with! Or if you are totally altruistic (or already have one), you've got two presents covered. This offer expires on November 30.

Have a lovely day!

Biscotti Gift Set, PaperTrey Ink Style

Because I often give food gifts, I'm always looking for some fresh recipes and packaging about this time every year. Biscotti is nothing new, but this year I thought I'd dip it into white chocolate and sprinkle crushed candy canes on top; it was definitely a hit with my son! With the pretty red and white of the candy canes, I wanted to include one non-traditional color-twist that keeps catching my eye, a soft blue like PTI's new Spring Rain.  I knew that the PaperTrey Ink  Men of Life papers would be the perfect color scheme for holiday-style, if I could just get around the cute anchors. . .

So, did you know that you can get almost four rows of dots if you trim right under one row of anchors and then right over the next row?  Several of the papers in the Men of Life Collection will work seasonally, actually. I started with a medium clear paint can and made a little strip to run around the can. (I had to piece some the papers inconspicuously in order to make it all the way around.) I made an upper band as well, but kept much of the container clear so that you could see the pretty biscotti inside.  The can body is finished with one of the tags from 2008 Holiday Tags set--one of my new favorite little sets.

For the lid, I used  Spellbinders Plain and Petite Scalloped Circle dies to cut pieces for the lid, and a large Sizzix Snowflake die to cut a large white felt snowflake to drape down over the lid. The big red button is an Autumn Leaves Foof-a-La button, and the ribbon is PaperTrey Ink's Spring Rain grosgrain. Little red rhinestones are the A Muse Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers.

For the coordinating card (pictured at the top of the post), I used the same papers but a different tag stamp from the 2008 Holiday Tags set. I used a Fiskars Threading Water punch to scallop the red mat layer and pierced holes in the top and bottom to add some interest. For the envelope, I used another strip of the polka dots, edged with a red paint pen (Elmer's Painters).  I wanted to keep that strip as thin as possible so that it wouldn't cause grief in a sorting machine.

Finally, the biscotti: I am still experimenting with different Biscotti recipes. For this batch, I used the Snickerdoodle Biscotti recipe by Cookbook Carrie, low fat and traditional. (My son said that they needed some almond extract. He has opinions on everything.) If I hadn't wanted plain biscotti so that I could keep my color scheme light and airy, I thought that these two recipes sounded pretty amazing: Cinnamon Mocha Biscotti and Double Chocolate Chunk Biscotti. They're on my list to try soon.

After they cooled, I simply dipped one end into melted Almond Bark and then immediately sprinkled crushed candy canes on top. These are quite good dipped into coffee, hot chocolate, or mocha.

I love the fresh color scheme of the Men of Life papers, and I'm sure that I'll be using them much more in the future!  Thanks for visiting.

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Edited to add: When I visited the PaperTrey site and tried to add a medium paint can to my cart, it wasn't adding. Both the larger and smaller cans are adding to the cart just fine though. You can use a larger can or a smaller can, but make sure that whatever size you choose, you shape the width of your biscotti dough roll to fit. A larger can would work better for  normal-length biscotti, but you could shape your dough rolls to be narrower, and make a few fit into a smaller can as well. HTH!

Studded Wreath: CPS Sketch 91

This week's CPS 91 Sponsor is Kandi Corp--the hot-fix tools people. I've used their Brass-It-Up hot fix pieces here, but they also carry some beautiful hot-fix rhinestones as well as several lines of stamps.

I stamped the  Itty Bitty Wreath (Lockhart) in Rich Cocoa Memento ink, and then colored it with these Copic markers: 0, R24, R27, R29, G82, G85, and YG95.  I colored the berries with a Red Gelly Roll Glaze pen. Next, I cut and embossed the image with a Spellbinders Plain Nestability circle die. For the scalloped edge, I used a punch instead of a die (SU Scalloped circle punch). Why?  I wanted to use the brass studs, and I needed larger and fewer scallops to put then into.

Background is Cornish Heritage Farms' Leaves and Canvas Backgrounders, inked in SU's retired Cranberry Crisp ink and stamped on PaperTrey Ink's Pure Poppy cardstock. The little band of ribbon is SU's Kraft taffeta. Finished size is 3-1/4" x 6-1/2", folded, fitting into the long tag envelopes that SU carries.

This was an easy sketch, and it would work well for small focal images, whether round or square. We'd love to have you play along with the CPS Sketches!  I'll be back late tonight with a fun little packaged food gift ensemble, PaperTrey style. Thanks for visiting!

Hello

Tonight's fare is a really simple card; I'm working on a couple of deadlines, but should be back to normal soon. Thanks for hanging in there!

This little image is from one of Lisa Johnson's PaperTrey Ink sets, Out of the Box. I paired it with some Plum Pudding cardstock and the Polka Dot Parade paper in a reverse-negative approach. Then I embossed the little "hello" sentiment in Filigree Detail White embossing powder. The brad was an odd color, but after being coated with some Pink Stickles, it worked just right as the flower center. I trimmed the main image closely and then matted it in Spring Moss cardstock. The top flower is also raised on a piece of foam tape. Finished size is 4-1/4" square.

I'll try to get a few minutes to post my CPS card for this week later today. Thanks for visiting!

Be Still and Know

Tonight's post is short and sweet since we're having satellite internet issues again.  I have another little Verve Visual Plain Jane to share with you, Psalm 46:10. I have SO many stamps that I rarely buy stamps, but I can't resist buying these single verse stamps because they are so useful and meaningful. This one is inked in Versamagic Pink Petunia, Oasis Green, and Sage, then cut with a Spellbinders Classic circle die. I added some pink Micro Dot Twinkle Stickers--little brothers of the red ones that I used up on yesterday's card. (It's about time to plan cards around the remaining green and purple ones!)

Background papers are from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie Collection, sanded and antiqued a bit, then punched and sewn. Ribbon is PaperTrey Ink Ocean Tides Satin. The little butterfly button is a Spellbinders die cut that I double-layered from a thin chipboard, and then glittered and punched button holes in.

I'm sorry that I can't direct-link you to the specific products tonight. Hughes Net says that I exceeded my allotted usage today, so I'm at low-dial-up levels for 18-1/4 more hours. . . but who's counting? ;-D  Have a wonderful day!

A Just Rite Happy Birthday

How about a cheery card today? This one has been in limbo for a couple of weeks while I worked on deadlines, and I finished it just last night. I've had a chance to play with some of the new Cosmo Cricket Chemistry line and love its bright, slightly sassy colors! I chose the Flirt and Forget-Me-Not patterns for this card. To frame the Happy Birthday sentiment (from the Just Rite Curlz Monogram Stamper kit), I covered a chipboard button with a Chemistry button cover, did a bit of sanding, and added Stardust Stickles to the dots.

The sentiment had a ring of little circles that just needed some red rhinestones. Would you believe that I used every last one that I had in the house?  And then one popped off. . . Arrrggghhh! I never found it. I finally decided to call off the search and color a yellow one red with my Copic markers. (Love those markers!)

The ribbon is some that I picked up online at Joann.com--a wired red ribbon. Wired ribbon is great for helping the bow stay plump--at least until it's mailed.  (Now I'll have to start writing instructions for any cards that I actually mail, explaining the importance of spending 20 minutes fixing the bow after opening the card.) The little red, glittered chipboard curl is a die cut, Sizzix Flower and Vines 2; I added some Christmas Red Stickles to it for bling-power.

This was a fun card to make, and I hope it made you smile. Have a great day!

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Product Details

Card Size: 5-1/2" x 4-1/4", folded.
Stamps: Just Rite Stampers Curlz Monogram Stamper Kit
Papers: Chemistry Collection by Cosmo Cricket
Ink: Pure Poppy by PaperTrey Ink
Accessories: Chemistry Button Covers and Buck Naked Buttons (Cosmo Cricket); Twinkle Stickers (A Muse); Stardust and Christmas Red Stickles (Ranger)
Tools: sewing machine, Sizzix Flower and Vines 2 die cut; Fiskars Threading Water Punch