Ombre Builder + Fabulous Block Die + sequins = a shaker card

 I was so excited to try out my new release products and got right to it.  I took the Ombre Builder set and stamped it repeatedly using Fresh inks (sicilian blue, steel blue, sky blue, turquoise, pool and navy) slightly overlapping them.  I then cut the Fabulous Block die and used some thick white cardstock (110lb Recollections).

I decided I wanted to make a shaker card so cut the block die using some white foam and then cut out the inside with an Xacto knife.  I added some clear acetate and used my faithful Tombo Mono Multi glue trapping some cupped irridescent and flat silver sequins.  I just love shaker cards!

Have you made any shaker cards lately?  Please feel free to share your creations ...

Papertrey Ink Make it Monday - Flocked Backgrounds with Dimensional Paste

This week over at Papertrey, the fabulously talented Danielle Flanders took us through the process of making a flocked background with dimensional paste for a Make it Monday.  I didn't have any and couldn't find my gesso so tried with clear silicone and pigment reinkers .... seems crazy but it actually made a rather cool background!!

I used the circle cover plate and attached it with some washi tape to a piece of Aqua Mist card stock.  I mixed some silicone with Fresh Silver Lilac reinker and swiped it using an old paint chip.  I then mixed some Fresh Steel Blue reinker and swiped that along as well.  I let it dry and cut the word using a Wonderful Words die, being careful to keep the inside of the e and o to reattach.

Here's a closeup of the texture:

I kinda like the imperfection!! Later on in the week I found my gesso and made some more backgrounds.  This one also used the circle cover plate and I stamped the Mini Blooms sentiment in Fresh Steel Blue ink before adding a Distress Marker inked (Broken China) Pink Paislee die cut that I added Rock Candy glitter to using Glossy Accents.

I cut the flocked background in strips and adhered some flat and popped some up with foam dots.

My next card used the Chevron cover plate and some more gesso:

I took a leftover silver banner that I had cut using Bountiful Banners and inked up the sentiment from Mini Blooms.  I stamped a whole bunch of flowers and leaves using Fresh ink (Steel Blue, Silver Lilac, Turquoise, Pear and Tuscan Olive).  I attached the banner and flowers and leaves using foam dots and layered them.

I really like the look of flocked backgrounds and will definitely be experimenting more with this ...
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If you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journaling cards, an impression plate and some stamps!

SAF2013: Scent-sational cards

SAF2013 had a great inspirational post that I loved!! The idea of scratch and sniff cards is so cool and I mixed some clear embossing powder with cinnamon to make a card to accompany a holiday treat.

I took a Rustic Cream card base and stamped the Mistletoe and Holly background in Fresh Pear ink.  I layered a Versamark inked Think Big background on Kraft Cardstock and then the Holiday Treats text block using Fresh Tuscan Olive.  I used my homemade scented embossing powder on the little gingerbread man - the scent is awesome!! :-)

SAF2013: Sugar Dipped Embellishments + Gallon: Quart: Pint challenge

I tried the sugar coated challenge over Papertrey's Stamp-a-Faire using some Prisma glitter - what fun!

I used Dawn's sugar dipped idea with Glossy Accents:

I used a piece of Authentique's Seasons: summer patterned paper for the background and then a yellow piece from the same pad for the Rosie Posie flower that I dipped in glitter.

I added the sentiment from Botanical Silhouettes in Navy ink (on Rosie Posie too).  The Ocean Tides die cut is from Fabulous Frames - love that set!!  I thought this could also be added to the Gallon:Quart:Pint challenge at SAF2013:

Gallon = Ocean Tides, Quart: Harvest Gold, Pint: Enchanted Evening (Fresh Navy ink)

My next card used Danielle's idea of strips of Sook Wang (scor tape) with glitter over top.  I used the Wonderful Words: Birthday die and added a Mega Medallions 'wishes' sentiment double stamped in Fresh Mango.  Super simple card on a woodgrain card base.

Love the glittery goodness! :)

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If you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journaling cards, an impression plate and some stamps!  

PTI August Blog Hop + SAF2013: homemade mists

I combined Papertrey's Blog Hop inspiration colours and sketch with the homemade mists from Stamp-A-Faire 2013.  I made a pale purple mist using Fresh Silver Lilac ink combined with water and Perfect Pearls in Pearl.  The resuts were a shimmery lavender mist. 

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So here's my card using all the elements:

I used the Circles cover plate as a mask and misted a white piece of card stock.  This was a lot of fun - I am definitely going to be making some more mists!! 

I then cut out a circle and added some Mini Blooms and leaves stamped with Versafine Black Onyx.  I added the Botanical Silhouettes sentiment using Navy ink from Fresh as my Enchanted Evening.

 Here's a close up with the misted layer - in person it has a gorgeous sheen to it.

The shot above also shows all the foam dots I used to pop up the circle and then the flowers and leaves.  Lots of dimension for this card.

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If you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journaling cards, an impression plate and some stamps!  

Supplies:

Paper: Staples 110lb white, Hawaiian Shores, Enchanted Evening, Plum Pudding, Royal Velvet, Simply Chartreuse

Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Fresh Navy

Stamps: PTI Botanical Silhouettes, Mini Blooms

Misc: Perfect Pearls in Pearl, water, Fresh Silver Lilac reinker, foam dots

SAF 2013: Rolled Dough Designs

I picked up some Delight Paper Clay after going out for dinner last night to try today's technique using this product.  It is fast drying and super light which makes it perfect for cards.  I was going to use my Damask Snowflake die to make an ornament but went in a totally different direction.

I used the lower case alpha dies to die cut an 'x' for my nephew, Xavier.  I stamped it with the herringbone pattern from the Mat Stack collection 

I added it to a Mat Stack stamped die cut using Fresh Turquoise ink and an Enchanted Evening mat.  I put on some foam dots adhered behind before adhering it to a Staples grey card stock base that I impressed with the Herringbone impression plate.  Love the texture that adds!         

I stamped an envelope with some trucks and cards from a baby boy Fiskars set - he just adores any mode of transport whether it be trains, trucks, vans .... you name it, he loves it! :-)     

My next card up is a birthday card using some more paper clay.  For this one, I die cut a Notched Flower which I stamped with the BB: Newsprint stamps in French Lavender Fresh ink.

I matted a piece of PTI patterned paper (a purple graph background) to my Staples grey card base and added a Double Ended Banner die cut in Smokey Shadow.

I added a Wonderful Words: Birthday die cut using cork and stamped a coordinating envelope with Modern Wood Mats - such a stylish set!!

I also made a card for my cousin - she loves pastel colours so I went with a muted hues:

 

I used a piece of Studio Calico's Snippets 6x6 paper pad - love those polka dots!  I adhered that to my card base and then added some silver twine and a woodgrain embossed Beautiful Blooms II die cut in Aqua Mist.  I added my ubiquitous foam dots to the die cut before adding the Postmarks stamped 'k' to the front.

So what have you created with paper clay?  Share your links and tips below! :)

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If you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journaling cards, an impression plate and some stamps! 
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Supplies:
'x' is for Xavier
Paper: PTI Enchanted Evening, Staples grey
Ink: Fresh Sky Blue, Turquoise
Stamps: PTI Mat Stack collection
Misc: Delight paper clay; PTI Herringbone impression plate, lower case alpha die, mat stack and layerz, foam dots

birthday
Paper: Staples grey, PTI patterned graph paper

Ink: Fresh French Lavender
Stamps: PTI BB: Newsprint
Misc: Delight paper clay, cork; PTI notched flower die, PTI double ended banner die, PTI Wonderful Words: birthday die; foam dots

'k' is not for cousin
Paper: PTI Aqua Mist, Studio Calico Snippets 6x6 paper pad
Ink: Fresh Fuschia
Stamps: PTI BB: Postmarks
Misc: Delight paper clay; PTI Woodgrain impression plate, lower case alpha die, foam dots, silver twine

SAF 2013: Stamp-a-faire Opening Ceremony and Breakfast Bake & Take

Stamp-a-Faire 2013 has begun over at Papertrey Ink and I began this morning's Bake and take using a colour combination as inspiration.  Even though it is 3 hours earlier on the West Coast, I woke up at 5AM and blearily watched a few of the fabulous videos.

I decided to get started using some of the inspiration from the first post - complete with pictures, colours, sketches etc.  I am trying this colour combination first because it's completely out of the box for me - I rarely use orange and this combo is kind of retro and different.  Thought I would give it a go! :)

For my first card, I cut out triangles by hand and made them into a banner.  I stamped them with Memento Tuxedo Black ink using BB: Newsprint for a little added interest.  I used my faithful  Tombo Mono Multi glue to add some button twine - this glue rocks!  It dries clear and is perfect for this kind of job.  You just need to press it for a minute and it adheres cleanly.

I then used  foam dots and popped them up on a piece of LCI woodgrain cardstock.  I die cut a circle using the shape from Sketched Shapes and made a window using some acetate.  I stamped the sentiment using StazOn Jet Black  from Sketched Shapes - I am always in need of birthday cards and have quite a few coming up this fall.

What do you think of the window?  Oh don't you just love this woodgrain cardstock?  It is such a fun choice for a card base.  

My next card uses the same combo with cardstock strips of different widths on an angle.  I then added the sentiment using Fresh Ocean Tides ink in Steel Blue - the perfect colour for Ocean Tides.  I used Staples grey cardstock which works well as a dupe for PTI's Stone.

 

Not sure I like the placement of the sentiment but ah well ... I'll keep it for now! :)

Happy creating during SAF, everyone!! And thank you to the DT team for all their hard work on today's festivities.  I am heading out for coffee with a friend but will be back later with some more cards and projects. :-)

edited to add - a little bashful now as I just realized you are supposed to COMBINE a sketch AND colour combo ... oops! :(
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If you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journaling cards, an impression plate and some stamps!

Supplies:
Happy Birthday
Paper: woodgrain white, Staples grey; PTI canyon clay, ocean tides, smokey shadow, autumn rose
Ink: StazOn Jet Black
Stamps: PTI Sketched Shapes (sentiment), BB: Newsprint
Misc: PTI Sketched Shapes (circle die), acetate,  Tombo Mono Multi glue, PTI button twine,  foam dots

Thanks so much 
Paper: Staples grey; PTI canyon clay, smokey shadow, autumn rose
Ink: Fresh ink steel blue
Stamps: PTI Mini Blooms (sentiment)
Misc:  Tombo Mono Multi glue

Ink comparisons

I thought it might be helpful for an ink comparison of some of the darker more neutral colours.  I used my dye and pigment inks to give you an idea of their coverage and their hues.

You can see the difference between Memento's Tuxedo Black ink and Versafine Black Onyx, for example.  Versafine is a much richer more opaque ink that really coats the stamp giving good coverage.

Some are VERY different in colour - for example, even though Hero Arts mid tone wet cement would seem to be a gray/grey tone, it is more of a browney or taupey gray/grey if that makes sense. 

You can see how saturated the colour of the camera is in this picture - if I had used Tuxedo Black, it would've been splotchy but Versafine Black Onyx worked perfectly!

So what are your go to neutral inks?  Do you prefer dye inks or pigment?

Supplies:
Inks: Hero Arts mid tone; Versafine; Memento

Runway Inspired RIC#40: Stella McCartney

This colour combo is so not my usual so I thought it was perfect to challenge myself. 

I pressed some Studio Calico Hearts and Arrows wood veneers into ink - Fresh red currant and mango and since I didn't have a bright enough yellow, used some dollar store pearlescent paint.  I added some Rock Candy Stickles for a little shine.

I made a little mistake on the sentiment - I meant to stamp the U in Hero Arts mid tone wet cement and then layer the rest in Versafine Black Onyx over top but stamped the U in black first so reworked the whole thing a bit.  Oops!  To get the gray part all in one line, I covered some of the words with washi tape before stamping into the ink pad and then removing it to stamp on the card.  This is another way of masking sentiments.  (The sentiment is configured in a stacked row so I had to get creative unless I wanted to cut it apart ...)

Supplies:
Paper: Staples 110lb white
Stamps: PTI Live Love Life
Supplies: Versafine Black Onyx; Fresh red currant, mango; Hero Arts mid tone wet cement
Misc: Studio Calico Hearts and Arrows wood veneers, dollar store yellow paint, Glossy Accents

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My next card also features Live Love Life from PTI's uber talented Maile Belles:

I stamped the sentiment repeatedly using Hero Arts mid tone wet cement and Versafine Black Onyx before adding the hearts in red currant, mango and harvest Fresh inks.

Supplies:

Paper: Staples 110lb white

Stamps: PTI Live Love Life

Ink: Hero Arts mid tone wet cement, Versafine Black Onyx, Fresh red currant, mango and harvest 

Thanks to RIC for the colour challenge!  Happy hopping to you all!  Oh, and if you are looking for some crafty supplies, check out my sale page here to see if anything catches your eye.  I've got grid journalling cards, an impression plate and some stamps!

Papertrey July Blog Hop - colour combo challenge: fruits of summer #5

Here is another Papertrey blog hop colour combo - yum!  A very citrusy array of tones:

This one is pretty straight forward with some layering of inks with Rosie Posie and Rosie Posie step 2 (Fresh harvest and mango).

 I added the sentiment with multiple inking using fuschia and merlot:

The sentiment is from PTI's Mini Blooms set.  Love the combo of sentiments!!  I decided it needed a little more oomph so I used my canvas impression plate - love the texture it adds.

For my next card, I did some splattering of inks here on this card which is definitely NOT my usual style!  I took a Project Life grid card (I'm selling some extras here) and misted it with Mister Huey's spray.

I added a sentiment in Fresh mango ink and three circles in hibiscus burst, scarlet jewel and melon berry.

Some splatters on the card base and a popped up grid card and that's it!

Do you need some journaling cards for your scrapbooking or stamps or impression plates?  Check out my sale page here for more details.

Happy hopping!  I love these colour challenges because they really get me to step out of my comfort zone and try combinations I might never usually reach for.  I always make a bunch of cards to see what I can do ... how about you?  Do you have difficulty with colour combos or are sketches more challenging?  How about inspiration pictures?