Thinking Inking

Distress Inks and Festive Foliage

Welcome! This is the last card in a series of Waltzingmouse stamps Festive Foliage cards. I have some other Christmas stamps calling my name too!

For this card I used Distress Ink cubes in the colors shown above to ink the pine bough stamp. I loved those greens! I tried an earlier version spritzing my stamp and also my paper, but I didn't love the mushy effect that I came up with on that one. No doubt someone who is better with watercolors could have pulled it off flawlessly, but my crisper version was better. 

I wanted to get some sky color in there, but having already muddied one piece, i thought I'd play it safe and airbrush some Copic sky on my pine boughs. I knew that the Copics and watercolors wouldn't react, so I wouldn't have a problem. (Copic BG23 used here.)

 

I embossed a small sentiment from PTI's Keep It Simple: Christmas stamp set, not wanting to cover up much of the foliage, and I added some glitter with my X-Press It Fine glue pen. This was really pretty quick to make, considering I did no hand-trimming at all. So, that's it--three days of cards and three different looks, mostly from my Waltzingmouse Festive Foliage stamp set--fun! I guess I've got to clear my desk and get some "real work done now. ;-)

Thanks for stopping by,

   

Goldtones and Festive Foliage

Welcome! Yesterday I posted a rustic Christmas card made with Waltzingmouse Stamps Festive Foliage stamp set. Today I have a trio of gold embossed cards, ranging from very simple to more detailed and time-consuming, but all about as different from yesterday's card as you get using the same stamp set. 

First up is the one that I spent the longest time on. I used gold embossing powder and a darker gold metallic cardstock, paired with a Spellbinders Classic Oval die and a good bit of hand-trimming. The sentiment on this card is from 'Tis the Season.

Yes, I do have the coordinating die set for this stamp set, but since I'd already hand-trimmed the partial oval window, I figured I'd just hand trim the popped-up piece in the upper right corner as well. It allowed me to cut quite a bit closer to the pine needles. Was it worth the extra time? Hmmmm. . . I like it, but I probably wouldn't make six more! :-)

Here's one that took a lot less time, but I still liked how it turned out. I used a shimmery white and a light gold metallic cardstock on this one, along with gold embossing powder and two MFT Die-namics sets, Die-namics Blueprints 13 and Stitched Fishtail Flag STAX, along with some simple gold metallic string. 

Finally, here's a really simple card, using the mistletoe image from the Waltzingmouse Stamps Festive Foliage stamp set. Easy to make, easy to mail, easy on the postage. . . I coated the berries inside with Glossy Accents. I tried another and coated the berries with white glitter and liked that one a little better. 

So, this was playday with gold embossing powder. You know, I've played with embossing powder off and on for fifteen years now, and I still love to watch it melt. Sometimes it doesn't take much to make us happy. ;-) I have one more card in this little WMS Festive Foliage mini series, one stamped with distress inks, but still pretty clean and simple. I'll try to share it tomorrow--thanks for stopping by!

Rustic WMS Christmas

Welcome! I've been playing with the Waltzingmouse Stamps Festive Foliage stamp set for a couple of days and have made five cards in three styles with it. I thought it might be fun to take a stamp set and have a little mini-series on using it in different ways. Today's way is a woodsy, rustic version, obviously. The sentiment above is from a different WMS stamp set, 'Tis the Season. I like the swirls in the script on that--magical!

I paired the WMS Festive Foliage boughs and pine cones with an inner sentiment from Papertrey Ink's O Holy Night stamp set; it has been my "go-to" sentiment set on the insides of my cards this year. :-)

I used the coordinating WMS Festive Foliage die set to cut the raised pieces on the lower left and that little pinecone on the upper right. I also used a couple of MFT dies, Die-namics Blueprints 13 for the stamped card from, and Die-namics Cross-Stitch Oval STAX for the sentiment panel.  Ink colors were PTI Pinefeather, Dark Chocolate, and Kraft.Cardtsock colors were PTI Rustic Cream and Pinefeather.

Tomorrow I'll have a gilded Festive Foliage set--totally different look! Thanks for stopping by, and have a fabulous day,

Thanks for Your Kindness

Welcome! Today I have another thank you card to share. I had fun playing with the background on this one, using a Spellbinders Roman Romance M-Bossabilities folder. I used a background technique similar to the one that Lori Craig used on her Dry Emboss Alcohol Resist Splitcoaststampers Tutorial.  The background is embossed on white cardstock, then heat-embossed with clear EP, before being airbrushed with Copic R32 and Copic Airbrush System. I love the richness and depth that you get with this particular embossing folder and  technique!

The thank you sentiment as well as the inside sentiment are from a Waltzingmouse Stamps Rescue Remedies Additions stamp set. I used a Spellbinders A-2 Filigree Delights die template for the sentiment, airbrushing some Copic R32 lightly into the open center before removing the die template from the cardstock. I dyed the seam binding with my Copic reinkers (R22 and R32). The mat layer of cardstock is Papertrey Ink's Berry Sorbet, brushed lightly with a bit of Vintage Cream ink to soften the color. Finished size is  5" x 7". Now to get it in the mail. . . ;-)

Thank you for visiting,

Debbie

Funky Flowers Thank You

Welcome! How about another thank you card today? Still hoping for Spring here, but the snow that is drifting down outside isn't encouraging. . . Maybe if I keep making floral cards, Spring will come! Today I used a Waltzingmouse Stamps set, Funky Flowers, along with its coordinating dies. (There is also an SVG cut file for the Funky Flowers set, if you use an electronic cutting machine.) The sentiment is a PTI stamp from Inside and Out Thank You.

How about that fun airbrushed pattern in the background? I used my Copic Airbrush System and a B32 Copic marker, along with an MFT Stamps stencil, On the Diagonal. I used mostly Versamagic inks, including Mango Madness, Key Line, Pink Petunia, and Malted Mauve. The darker yellow flower centers are PTI Summer Sunrise ink, and pink cardstock is PTI's Sweet Blush. I hand cut the little sentiment banner. Even though I used some foam tape on this card to pop those flowers up, I think that it should mail easily since it has no large, hard lumpy areas. Well, that's it for today--hope you're having a great day!

Debbie

You Make the Season Bright

Welcome! I got back from Portland late Sunday night and have been enjoying being back home. Tonight I made it back down to my studio to finish up a card that I'd started before I left using this sweet little image from the Waltzingmouse Stamps A Cottage Christmas set.

These were the Copic Markers that I used to color the image. The B93 was used for airbrushing the background with my Copic Airbrush System, in conjunction with a Spellbinders Labels Twenty Eight die template. (Click image to see colors in a larger format.) I used the E04 and E07 both for coloring and for dying the white seam binding to coordinate with the doors. I also used the E07 to airbrush the kraft Spellbinders Decorative Labels Twenty Eight kraft mat behind the focal image.

The texture in the background is created with a Spellbinders Decorative Fancy Tags Two Reversible Folder, a 5" x 7" embossing folder. I hand-cut a tiny notch for the knot of the bow to sit in so that I could get it a little closer to my focal image to balance out the trees on the left. That's it for tonight--one more card for the stash! Thanks for visiting,

Debbie

A Rose for my Friend

Welcome! I meant to clean off my desk tonight; but while I was cleaning I found a Waltzingmouse Stamps rose image that I had stamped on watercolor paper before I decided to go with my Copic markers for the blog hop last week. Of course, watercoloring is more fun than cleaning. . . Yes, my studio is still a mess, but at least I finished with this image from the WMS Roses in Bloom set! I used some Sakura Koi watercolors to color the image.  Next I used a Spellbinders Standard Circles Small die template to cut the rose out, masking with extra cardstock between the blade and  the leaves that stuck outside the border. I also used Charmed I'm Sure for the tag shape, A2 Bracket Borders for the border shape, and the Quilted Delight M-Bossability for background texture on my PTI Hibiscus Burst cardstock. That's it for today--hope you're having a great week!

Waltzingmouse Stamps Flower Show 2013

Today I'm delighted to be blog-hopping with Waltzingmouse Stamps in their 2013 Flower Show! If you are following the hop order, you have arrived here from Taheerah Atchia's blog; and you will be going from here to Meredith MacRitchie's blog. You can find a complete list of all participants at Claire's blog.

For my floral set, I chose the WMS Roses in Bloom set. I loved the big, beautiful rose bloom and knew that it would be fun to color! My card is larger than I normally make at 5" x 7". I could have used a standard 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" card base if I had turned the base horizontally, but I liked it better this way.

These are the Copic markers that I used on the floral image. (Click to see them larger.)

The Spellbinders die template that I used under the floral image is from the 5" x 7" Detailed Scallops set. Patterned paper is by K & Company; it was an older pad, and I don't have the cover for it any more. I dyed oatmeal seam binding to coordinate with my flower using Copic 0 and RV63 Various Inks/reinkers. Glitter in the flower center is a Martha Stewart glitter color, Fire Opal; and heart stick pins are by Maya Road.

Now, for the part you've been waiting for: Waltzingmouse Stamps is offering a fabulous prize in conjunction with this blog hop. To enter, you will be CASE-ing one of the floral cards from today's blog hop and posting it to the link list on Claire's blog on April 23. Be sure to see Claire's blog  for all of the details, okay?

Once again, if you are following the hop order, you have arrived here from Taheerah Atchia's blog; and you will be going from here to Meredith MacRitchie's blog. You can find a complete list of all participants at Claire's blog. Thank you for visiting today!

Ornament Trio and Tool Tidbits

Welcome! I've been playing with a couple of new stamp sets--love these! I don't often order stamps, simply because I have more than I have time to play with already. Once in a while though, I see a set that I just plain need--at least I think I do! When I saw the Nordic Winter and Holiday Ornaments sets from Waltzingmouse Stamps, they reminded me of my niece's sweaters, a perfect and sweet Christmas pattern.

The background set, Nordic Winter, is a great building set--long acrylic stamp strips that you can either repeat or alternate to build your own desired pattern. I didn't plan ahead on this; I merely stamped several different strips, then used my Genesis Trimmer with an edge light to cut them apart. Now, I don't usually explain my tools; but since Christmas is coming, I thought I would share some of my favorite tools, just in case you find yourself in need of something similar. (I'm starting a new post category called Tool Tidbits.)

I have several trimmers, each for different jobs. But the one that I use the most is my Genesis Trimmer that I purchased a few months back from Bonnie's Best Art Tools. If you like to cut stacks of cardstock at one time, this is probably not the tool for the job. However, if you generally cut one piece of cardstock at a time but want it cut perfectly, this might be just the tool for you. I don't use the edge light all of the time, but when I need to see through something, it comes in quite handy. Patterned papers, stamped papers, lighter colored cardstocks, or lighter weight cardstocks--the edge light shines through those. Darker, heavier cardstocks--not so much. FYI, I do not work for Bonnie; I just like her trimmer!

After I cut my strips apart, I arranged and rearranged them until I was happy with them, then lightly tacked them to red cardstock so that I could stitch the seams between patterns. Speaking of stitching, my old sewing machine died last week and I bought a new one. I'll tell you about it another day after I get more accustomed to using it.

The ornaments in the Holiday Ornaments set coordinate with the Spellbinders 2011 Heirloom Ornament die template set, which makes it super simple to get a perfect cut on those ornaments! I used metallic string (purchased from Stampin' Up several years ago) to "hang" each ornament, mounting them on foam tape. I used Copic Various inks in R29 and R37 to dye my white seam binding to coordinate with the Pure Poppy ink that I had stamped with. So, that's it--one Nordic sweater card, done! Thanks for stopping by.

Vintage Christmas

Welcome back! When I got back from Chicago, I had a couple of fun packages waiting, one of which was an order from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I had ordered a Spellbinders-compatible frame set and a Christmas sentiments set--Holiday Labels 14 and Compliments of the Season (currently backordered).

I stamped the frame on Papertrey Ink's Kraft cardstock with Scarlet Jewel ink and cut and embossed with with a Spellbinders Labels Fourteen die; I love this shape, especially when paired with the skinny ovals! For the center I stamped the sentiment on Vintage Cream cardstock in Scarlet Jewel ink and then cut it with a Petite Ovals die before adding distress ink to the edges of both pieces. 

Patterned paper is a piece of Melissa Frances Holly paper--a little more muted than the Scarlet Jewel ink that I was using, but still in the same family. Ribbon is some off-white Hug Snug seam binding (from e-Bay) that I colored with a few Copic markers--first E07 (which was a little warm), then RV29 (to cool my too-warm hue), and finally some R59 (to mute the other two layers of color). It's a bit more saturated/intense than it should be, but I still like it. :-)

 

The Zva Creative pearl swash was white (PE-03CA-110), which I airbrushed with a Copic Airbrush System and Copic E07 to add a bit of color and make it coordinate with the paper. One hint: when you airbrush with a darker Copic marker on a hard surface, it may get a bit sticky. The best product that I have found for sealing the surface and taking away the stickiness is Creative Impressions Super Seal. It is a water-based sealer, so it won't make the markers run like a solvent-based-sealer would. My usual craft-haunts were out of it, but I found some at Overstock.com if you are needing some.

That's about it--have a lovely day!

Wishing You Peace and Love. . .

It's a gorgeous weekend in the U.P. of Michigan!  The leaves are a bit past their peak colors, but our woods are still every shade of gold. I just finished a Fall scrapbook page last night that I'll share next week, but for today I have another Christmas card.

I love vintage papers and styles--hmmmm. . . Could be my age. ;-) Today I've used papers from the Cosmo Cricket Mitten Weather Collection (Deck the Hollies), along with a sentiment stamp from the JustRite Stampers Christmas Nested Sentiments and Verse. The sentiment is cut out with a Spellbinders Classic Oval Nestability. The frame stamp is from Very Vintage Labels 2 by Waltzingmouse Stamps, die-cut and matted with Spellbinders Labels 2 dies. I love Claire's Nestie-friendly label sets--just ordered a new one yesterday.

The bottom border is cut with Classic Scalloped Border Petites and encrusted with Zva Creative rhinestones (CRW-01CB-140).  Ribbon is some Copic Various inks-dyed Hug Snug seam binding (Y31 and 0). Card size is 5-1/4" square, designed to fit my large square Papertrey Ink envelopes. 

That's one more card for my stash. Thanks for stopping by!

Afternoon Tea

Welcome! I have a shabby little card to share today using the Afternoon Tea set from Waltzingmouse Stamps. I don't often shop for stamps since I have far too many that need my attention already, but once in a while I peek in on Claire and order a little package from over the pond. ;-) I also used her Very Vintage Labels #4 on the blue patterned layer.

Papers are from the Girls Paperie Paper Girl line. I used a few Copic markers (RV000, R20, w1, o, and Y23) to tint the image, stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black and Rich Cocoa ink. The pink pearl swirl is from Zva Creative (PEB-03CA-113).

Twill is some cream twill tape that I tea-dyed, and buttons are Sweet Blush Vintage Buttons (Papertrey Ink). Finally, I used three Spellbinders dies on the card front: Labels Four, Large Labels, and Labels Eight for the border on the yellow gingham piece at the bottom. 

A spot of tea, anyone? Thanks for visiting!