The Christmas Album

This weekend I'm teaching a class to make this Vintage Christmas Album. It will be generic inside so everyone can use it how they wish. I will use mine for all the Christmas cards and  photos that I receive this year. I love to see how people change over the years, and use the older cards for reference because I forget a lot. I usually bind all the cards with a ring and just make a simple cover, but this year I decided to go all out, and teach a little technique to boot. 

Many techniques will be used, but one is Tim's "Reflective Imagery" technique from his Compendium of Curiosities II Book, page 55, which also happens to be the challenge for Linda's CCIIC #30 as well...convenient huh?!? Since it has a vintage feel, I'm also submitting it to Hels Sunday Stamper challenge for "Vintage". Oh yeah...one more...The Blogger's Challenge is "Countdown to Christmas".

I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

A Dylusions Quirky Christmas Card

Happy Saturday everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday here in the U.S. A quick thank you to all my followers...new and dare I say old! ;0)

It's my turn to host the Saturday StepxStep at Frilly & Funkie, and I've decided to show you how I've made this fun Christmas tag card using Dylusions, as well as show you snowflakes made with some of Ranger's new products. Please click the above link to view the steps for making this tag card.

Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Thankful! (12 Tags of 2012 - November)

I'm so THANKFUL for every single one of you that take the time to read or comment here, and that have supported me! There really are no words good enough for you! My cup does runneth over!

Quickly, as to not take up your day with my usual long rhetoric, here is my November tag for Tim's 12 Tags of 2012, minus the step out photos, although I do have them.
I wish all of you bountiful blessings today and everyday!!!

I am also submitting this to Studio L3's Compendium of Curiosities II Challenge for "Texture Fade Techniques" from Tim's book pg. 64, The Stamp Man's Challenge for "Emboss It", and Simon Says Stamp & Show's challenge for "Thank You".

Supplies:
From My Stash- raffia and button bow, acorn shell, bead


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

NYC ATC

It's that Funky time again this fortnight, and this time at Frilly & Funkie the uber talented Marjie of She Who Stamps & Scraps (See her below!) is hosting. Marjie wants to see "Chipboard and Metal". We're looking for these two elements on the project of your choice. You can use branded chipboard pieces or even cut up a cereal box. Choose items from the hardware store or simple household metals like staples or paperclips. Ranger's foil sheets would work too. The options are endless! We want you to be creative and can't wait to see what you share with us.

You still have a week left to participate, and if you need a little inspiration or even a lot, please visit the other Design Team's blogs.

Linda Coughlin - The Funkie Junkie

Marjie Kemper - She Who Stamps and Scraps 

Teresa Kline - Paperie Blooms

Terry Horrall -  Terry's Work In Progress 

Sue Carrington - Stamping Sue Style 

Rebecca Deeprose - Paper Primrose

I made these ATC's for a trip I just took to New York City for Debby Schuh's (The Memory Bee) tour and class! I visited with old friends, made new ones, and even had a surprise visit with Tim and Mario! What a fabulous time, and there will be many more pictures later. I even actually got to meet She Who Stamps and Scraps herself, Mrs. Marjie Kemper in the flesh...finally!!!
Also included is a mini tutorial on how to mask and stamp using Alcohol Inks.

Here is my chipboard and my metal!

I adhered the Metal Foil to the chipboard and cut them to ATC sized pieces. I stamped Tim's City Scape image onto the left over metal foil backing, cut it out,  and taped the bottom portion of it to my craft sheet to use as a mask.

I slipped the metal card inside the tape image all the way to the bottom edge, and then started pouncing on Alcohol Ink to make a sky. I used a few colors of blue, so many of the cards are different.

I removed the card and then stamped the city scape image in Jet Black Archival in the spot left blank, which was now an outline of the city! So cool!

I stamped a bee with Ranger's Alcohol Blending Solution first, to remove some of the Alcohol Ink for coloring purposes as seen below.

I stamped the bee again, but this time using Jet Black Archival. You can now see the blank spots were the Alcohol Ink was removed.

I stamped a Statue of Liberty image on the city scape in Jet Black as well.

I used Tim's Alcohol Ink Palette Technique to color in parts of the city scape and Lady Liberty. I love the results!

I used Snow Cap Pigment Ink to stamp snowflake images around the town, although it didn't snow on us while we were there...the weather was fabulous!

Then (my new favorite thing) I used Tim's new Frosted Film to cover the whole ATC. This not only gave it added texture and more stability, but it softened the color and made the image really feel snowy! I LOVE this stuff...brilliant! I trimmed the edges, inked them with Salty Ocean, and then added lots of Stickles over the top of images to really give this a Christmas like feel! Finally, I added a crown on the Bee, because Ms. Debby is the Queen Bee!

I just love my Funkie Sista! Mother Linda would be proud!

Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Thankful For Stains???

Thanksgiving is almost upon us here in the U.S., so I wanted to make one more project before I dive extremely deep into Christmas, and since Ranger has just announced more Stain releases, I thought it would be fun to use lots of Stains in this project, and use them for stamping.

Using a Ranger Inkssentials Manila tag (#10) and Tim's Stamper's Anonymous Falling Leaves Stamp Set, I stamped one of the leaf images using Distress Stain in Spiced Marmalade. After stamping it once, I stamped it two more times without reapplying...there is plenty of Stain still left to stamp. I love that about stamping with Stains. I dried this with my heat tool.

Using another leaf image, I stamped it three times with Mustard Seed Stain. I dried this.

Another leaf image equals another triple stamping, but this time with Barn Door Stain. I love that you can see the veins and detail of these stamps even though Stains are used instead of ink. I dried this as well.

Using a small leaf image, I stamped several using Tarnished Brass Metallic Distress Stain, and I filled in all the empty spots. I did have to reapply the Stain this time. The sheen is fabulous. I love the Metallic Stains! One more drying, and now it's time to ink.

I lightly inked the the whole tag with Walnut Stain Distress Ink to further my Autumn color palette.

I used a paper towel and rubbed each leaf to get the ink off of the leaves, to reveal my bright color again. I gave this another drying.

I decided this needed a little green hue, so I inked the open spots only with Bundled Sage Distress Ink, and used this to ink the edges of the tag as well.

I wanted more sheen, so I misted Sunflower Sparkle Perfect Pearls Mist (My favorite!) over the entire tag.

Before I finished the outside, I decided the inside needed a little something special, so I stamped Tim's Thankful words in Sepia Archival. I added a piece of scrap paper to this so I could jot a little message down for my recipient.

Back to the front again, I stamped the Blueprint Acorn image in Coffee Archival, and then poured Vintage Photo Distress Embossing Powder on this. I poured the extra off and heat embossed. Distress Powder is difficult to tell if it's melted, but the color does change slightly to a darker hue when it's ready. You can heat this stuff forever though without hurting a thing...love that! When it cooled, I rubbed the image lightly to release the loose particles, which gave this image a vintage feel.

I love Tim's new Seasonal Trims. The Thanksgiving one was perfect for this tag's hole. I even made sure I picked the part of the ribbon that read Thanksgiving, so it could be seen. I used the Tiny Attacher to fix the ribbon in place, but I didn't like the silver with all the gold I already had on the tag, so I used a Gold Sharpie to color the staples. Love this! And shocked as you might be, but I thought this tag needed nothing else. Simple yet filled with gorgeous Autumn color!

 Supplies:


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!

Have A Heart For Christmas!

I love it when a project comes together very easily, that you design around several challenges. I made this one in about an hour and a half yesterday, and that rarely happens. It usually takes me much longer, and I find myself being indecisive at every turn. I think the Christmas theme makes projects easier for me...although I don't know why, aside from the fact that I love crafting during this time of the year more than any other time. Most everything is sparkly yet vintage and full of tradition this time of year, and I love that!

Anyway, back to the challenges. I originally started this piece for the Everything Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group's, Making Art Challenge. It's from Wendy's Book 4, pg. 30 for "Using Gesso For Texture", but once I got going, I decided to incorporate The Compendium of Curiousities II Challenge from Tim's Book (same name) pg. 65 for "Reflections Stamping", which is being sponsored by Simon Says Stamp, and the Sunday Stamper challenge for "Birds". However, this morning brought the Simon Says Stamp & Show challenge, which  is "Stamping With No Ink", and it just so happens that a lot of that is used here, so I am throwing my hat in that ring too. And, that's enough!

The base heart was painted with Ranger's Pearl Paint Dabber.

I stamped Wendy's ticking image in Silver Paint Dabber.

When everything was dried, I taped down Dyan's Snowflake Stencil and pounced Claudine's Gesso into it. I did this all over the heart. And just so you know, I am a bad stenciler...very sloppy!

I painted the corner piece parts with Silver Paint Dabber...

...the stars with Pearl...

...and the flowers with Stain.

I also stamped the flower's with Barn Door Stain.

Gold Stickles were added to the centers of the flowers, and Rock Candy Crackle Paint to the Stars, followed by Pumice Stone Distress Ink  when they dried.

I stamped the numbers in Pearl onto the corner pieces.

The leaves were colored with Mowed Lawn Distress Ink straight from the pad, and then misted with Sour Apple Perfect Pearls.

Then they were stamped with the dots in Pearl.

I stamped the White Clearly For Art with the Stampers Anonymous Newsy Bird. I cut it out, and heated it with my heat gun to soften the parts I wanted to shape!

I used Tim's technique for the Reflections Christmas Words Image, and adhered it to the back of the heart. I used Silver Stickles to dress up my Gesso'd snowflakes, and then added Dresden Foil, the Art Parts, and Baubles, along with the plumber's chain.

 

 

Supplies:
From My Stash: acetate sheet, bell, plumber's chain


I hope your hands get creatively dirty soon!