Clearance Stamps/Stencil Set

Why do clearance items "call my name".

 I don't think I would have been interested in this set, except that it was in the clearance bin at JoAnn's. I cannot find the name of it on the label: just THMM102. I supposed that somehow goes with the text on top, Mixed-Media Stamps/Stencil.

The Ranger tags were on clearance too, so I had a chance to see how they held up to water and ink and gesso. You can see from the image, there was some warping of the paper. The size is about 6-1/4 inches tall by 3-1/8 inches wide.

I used wrinkle free distress technique with oxides:

abandoned coral

picked raspberry

twisted citron.

Then I added gesso over the bricks. When dry I sponged some brown ink on the edges and also with the crackly stencil. I think the brown color might be frayed burlap-I have been using that a lot lately. Added a black paper wildflower die cut from Tim's Wildflowers #2 thinlits. The friend definition stamp is from Stampin Up!.

Thanks for visiting!

Wildflowers on Oxide Backgrounds

Here you can see I have revisited the distress background technique

demonstrated by Richele Christensen on the Ranger blog

using three oxide distress inks:

cracked pistachio, peacock feathers and abandoned coral.
Stenciling was done with sequin waste (circles)
and the cut outs left after die cutting the flowers
with frayed burlap and hickory smoke ink.
Sponged the edges of the layer with vintage photo ink.
I added color to a piece of muslin fabric
by dipping it into the spritzed inks on the craft sheet.

Then I stamped the sentiment on top
and used a mini stapler to attach it to the turquoise layer.

This background here ended up being more green.
The Stampin Up lady stamp was stamped in vintage photo
then sponged in peeled paint around the edges
and old paper ink in the center.

Used Tim Holtz Wildflowers #2 dies for the black flowers for both cards
and twine and raffia as embellishments.

Thank you for visiting!

Stampfest with Lynette

Lynette and I had a great time stamping and visiting on Monday.

We tried a distress oxide background technique

demonstrated by Richele Christensen on the Ranger blog.

Since I didn't have the oxide in peeled paint, we just used the regular distress for that color

along with the faded jeans oxide and cracked pistachio oxide.

After we dried the background with a heat tool
we spritzed a stencil with water
and placed it on the background to "lift off" color.
Our result was not as dramatic as Richele's. 

Perhaps we did not leave the wet stencil down long enough?

Jennifer McGuire has a tutorial for stamping with water for unique backgrounds.
Would like to give that a try.

We sponged ink with stencils and stamped with a manuscript stamp on the background.

Cut Wildflowers #2 Thinlits from black cardstock and attached with glue.
Punched butterflies from Lynette's 2 butterfly punches and attached.

I used a piece of muslin fabric to stamp my sentiment and mini stapled it to the black cardstock.
Lynette used cardstock.
Then the layers were attached with dimensional foam.
I copied Richele's idea and used twine.

I would like to try this technique again adding an orange as shown on Richele's California Art Girl.

Addtional inks used:
distress vintage photo, hickory smoke, frayed burlap
Versafine black onyx

Stamps used:
Tim Holtz cling, saying stuff
Hero Arts H2141 manuscript background

Wednesday Card of the Day

Happy Wednesday dear friends!
Today's card for the Enjoy Michael Strong Stamps Groups.io
features Michael Strong's Cloisonné Flower and Cloisonné Leaves.

I started with a wrinkle free distress scrap from my stash.
 Harlequins were cut from it using a Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits set
called Mixed Media #1.

Mike's flower and leaves were stamped with distress oxide abandoned coral and pistachio
then fussy cut.

The layers were attached to a pink card base with dimensional foam.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Monday Card of the Day

This week I am card captain at the Enjoy Michael Strong Stamps Group

 which moved to a new home at Groups.io.

Today's card features Michael Strong's Mini Dragonfly, wrinkle distress technique
and a piece of muslin fabric.

I used distress oxide inkpads for the background layer.

When the paper was dry, I sponged ink onto waste canvas as a stencil.

 The bottom of the card shows a strip of muslin fabric
dipped into the puddle of distress oxide inks.
Fastened it to the card with the Tim Holtz mini stapler.

Stamped and fussy cut Michael Strong's mini dragonfly and attached it with dimensional foam.

The curvy banner is from a Hero Arts Stamp & Cuts set.

Inks used:
distress oxide: abandoned coral, picked raspberry, twisted  citron
Versafine black onyx.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

2018 Valentines

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you heartfelt happiness today and every day!

Below you will see close ups of a few cards.




 

Thanks for visiting!

Distress Oxide Anniversary Cards

Here are two anniversary cards I made today using wrinkle free distress technique

with distress oxide inkpads.

Materials:

 Textured "watercolor like" paper from my stash

Torn corrugated paper with white gesso painted on top

fibers

Inks:

Distress oxide picked raspberry, fossilized amber and abandoned coral

Black onyx Versafine

Stamps: Michael Strong mini cloisonne heart

Hero Arts DC184 Ribbon Messages Stamp & Cut

Thank you for visiting!

Island Wedding Card

Made this wedding card for a couple who were married in the US Virgin Islands a few weeks ago.
We will be going to a reception here on the mainland. We didn't attend the wedding.

My wrinkle free distress background, reminded me of the ocean.
So I dry embossed it with the Tide embossing folder to add some "waves".

I wrote the bride and groom's names in black marker on a scalloped heart
and stamped the sentiment on an oval layer.
Cut a strip of tulle and made a bow.

Here is the inside of the card

Stamps
PSX F2278
Hero Arts Clear Design Treasure the Moments

Inks:
Distress salty ocean, scattered straw
Stampin' Up bliss blue
Versafine black onyx

Tide Lifestyle Crafts embossing folder-Waves EF0020
Fiskars border punch

Thanks so much for visiting!

Card of the Day-Friday

Happy Friday!

Today I am sharing two sea themed cards featuring

Michael Strong's Sea Turtle and Seaweed stamps
and more wrinkle free distress backgrounds
using mermaid lagoon, peeled paint and crushed olive distress ink.

In this first card, I stamped Mike's seaweed stamp with pearlescent galaxy gold ink
but it didn't show up very well.
So, I embossed it with Adirondack butterscotch embossing powder,
purposely leaving some granules all over for a sandy, beach look.
The seaweed is still very faint.
Used mermaid lagoon distress ink for the Tim Holtz sentiment.

To ink the turtles, I placed peeled paint and crushed olive distress pads directly onto my craft sheet,

spritzed with water and placed the turtle stamp right into the puddle of mixed inks

then stamped on cardstock.

I used an aqua painter to color the rest of the turtles using
squeezed lemonade for the head and legs
 and mowed lawn for the shell.
Then I fussy cut the turtles and attached with dimensional foam.
Embellished with green baker's twine and gemstones.

For my second card, I stamped  Mike's starfish with scattered straw

and the shell with wild honey, then fussy cut and sponged edges.

Used dimensional foam to attach to card.

Embellished with fun fur and gemstones.

Green baker's twine wrapped on the 1st card.
Fun fur on the 2nd card.

Gemstones also were added.

Thanks so much for visiting!

Card of the Day-Thursday

I hope you don't mind that I keep revisiting wrinkle free distress technique.

It's such a quick and fun way to make backgrounds that keeps "calling me".
 I have two cards to share for the Technique Thursday Card of the Day
featuring Michael Strong's large and small flowers.

I used broken china, worn lipstick and abandoned coral distress inks,
inking a craft sheet and spritzing with water.
For more details here is my tutorial.

 Stamps: Michael Strong, Stampin' Up!

Inks: distress broken china, worn lipstick and abandoned coral,
Versafine black onyx ink
Additional: doily, tulle, fun fur and gemstones

Thank you for visiting!

Card of the Day-Technique Thursday

Happy Technique Thursday dear friends!

Today I'm revisiting one of my favorites:

Wrinkle Free Distress Technique.

You can find many tutorials online. Click here to see my method.

Distress inks used on background:

festive berries, mowed lawn and wild honey.

Inked Mike's acacia branch with distress mowed lawn marker and stamped randomly.

Stamped word Friend  with black soot marker

(from Hero Arts set of 4 stamps, Bouquet of Smiles).

On a separate sheet of cardstock 

I stamped Michael Strong's Cloisonne Giraffe

 in distress abandoned coral. Then I clear embossed it, fussy cut it and attached to card with dimensional foam.

Thanks for visiting!

Lady Face Cards

After seeing Dina Wakley's YouTube, Learn to Draw Artistic Faces
and borrowing Jane Davenport's book,
Drawing and Painting Beautiful Faces from the public library
I started sketching faces...
on the back of envelopes, on scrap paper, everywhere.

For these cards, I made a few sketches on white cardstock,
added some color with colored pencils and markers, then cut them out.

 I used Lynette's Stampin' Up! Notably Ornate Set
and added some of my own stamps to create some simple vintage, shabby-chic cards.

 

Used wrinkle free distress backgrounds from my stash
sponging additional color on them.

Stamps:

Stampin' Up! Notably Ornate, Friendship's Journey, Antique Collectibles, Letters from Friends,

Hero Arts
Dawn Houser

Distress Inks
mowed lawn, festive berries, spiced marmalade,  fossilized amber, wild honey, pumice stone, brushed corduroy

Colored pencils & Distress markers

Birds Note Card Set

Made this note card "case" from a folder.
It will be a gift that holds 4.5 x 5.25" cards and envelopes.
A few more details are here.
I used distress inks to sponge a scene on the front layer
using "holmade" stencils for the hills, clouds and sun.
Stamps:
Fantasy tree from Penny Black
Bird trio from Savvy Stamps

 

Dina Wakley's scribbly birds

were stamped onto background papers.

Some were distress ink sponged 

and some "wrinkle-free" distressed.

Distress inks used:  mowed lawn, festive berries, fossilized amber.

Birds and text stamped in Versafine black onyx.

An old favorite of mine, SU's Friendship's Journey is used on these cards.

Other stamps used:  SU's Antique Collectibles, Hero Arts E2758 Meadow Petals stamp,

from the Poetic Prints Pastel Petals set of four.

Inks: Stampin' Up! creamy caramel, rose romance, close to cocoa, 

Distress: spun sugar.

Thank you for visiting!