Playing with Rubber Cement... again... and distress inks

In the last Technique Tuesday video I used rubber cement to mask through a handmade stencil that was cut from the Brother Scanncut.  The insturctions and video are linked here.




I decided to try masking the 'laugh' and add distress inks, which turned into the Bokeh Method.  I just love masking and keeping that area as white as when I started!

Happy Crafting!

An International Card Kit

I am now an international seller!  My girlfriend asked for a set of cards for her sister in England!  I picked 10 of my favorites and created this little card holder for her!  It even has a pen holder included!

It's a flip flop kinda day!

Entered in 4 Crafty Chicks #248 Challenge

Summer is here!

I just adore these flip flops and using actual sandpaper to create a beachy card!  I used sandpaper and coated it with mod podge.

I used the flip flop image from the brother Scanncut!  Made one and then flipped the image to make the other.

A super fun card!

Using alcohol inks to create a beautiful flower

Card submitted in the Chocolate Baroque Challenge #11

What a beautiful weekend here in New England!  Someone asked for a 'fancy' thank you note and I really  had no idea where to start!

I started playing with alcohol inks and glossy paper.  I was so excited with how the colors worked together and decided to see what they'd look like die cut!

The hummingbirds are stickers that I layered over double sided tape and then I added more micro-fine glitter!

I just love how this card came together!

Newton gets patriotic! Happy Memorial Day

Entered in the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge

 

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!  There was a friendly card challenge in one of my Facebook Groups and Simon Says Stamp did an 'anything goes' challenge! 

I used one of the stamps from Newton's Nook.  This kitten had a flower pot originally, but I cut that out and gave him a flag pole!  I just love Newton!

A Thank You Note: Masculine

This was entered into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge

I was asked to create a masculine thank you note!  A look what came of it!

I took some glossy card stock and used my distress inks to color it brown.  I embossed it with a wood grain folder and then reinked it.

I cut little strips of paper and used the Hero Arts thanks die cut!

Rubber Cement and Peerless Watercolors

Using Rubber Cement as a Mask and creating a Peerless Watercolor background!  

The video link is below!

Welcome back to another Technique Tuesday!  Todays technique is a bit different than my traditional card making, scrapbooking, or papercrafting videos!

I have the 'lobster two' font downloaded in Microsoft Word.  I printed the three words: Live, Laugh, Love.  I then scanned that sheet into the Brother Scanncut for a direct cut.  Once it was scanned, I swapped out the laserjet print out with a piece of whitecard stock and hit cut!  I wanted to create a stencil!

I placed the 'stencil' over a piece of watercolor paper and then coated the stencil with rubber cement.... TWICE.  Use a heat gun to set the first layer of rubber cement, reapply the stencil and do a second coat of rubber cement, and also heat set.  Rubber cement can create a great mask.  It will keep the base color clean and untouched by whatever you decide to do next.


I used Peerless Watercolors to create a background.  Once it was dry, I was able to rub the rubber cement off the words and have a clean white background.

These could be cards, scrapbook backgrounds, or framed as I did here.  Any stencil could be used.  The paper ones I created are still in great shape and ready to use again.  If you use a plastic stencil, I recommend washing immediately.

My First Pocket Letter

Here is my very first pocket letter!  I was so excited to have joined a Facebook group that encouraged me to join this months swap!  I can't wait for the next one!

I chose a gold theme when I came across an old Shakespeare book.  I was wondering if I laser printed onto one of the pages, would the foil technique adhere to just the laser print or the text as well.  To my surprise it just stuck to the laser print.  And I was off... gold stencils, gold leaves, gold chocolate bar... I just loved the simplicity of the size and the finished product!

I also made a coordinating envelope and name tag for the recipient!

Sympathy Card: I just love the dandelion stamp!

I have been itching to play more with this WOW Dandelion Stamp.  Today I had the chance to do just that and enter a card challenge from 4 Crafty Chicks!

I masked a piece of white cardstock and blended two colors of stampin' up ink.  I stamped the dandelion in black ink from My favorite things.  Then I scored two lines above the green and two below. 

I love the simplicity of the dandelion and the many messages it can bring!

This card was entered in the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge #247 Sympathy

For the loss of a pet

I have had this idea for several months in my head and will continue working on the design till I'm completely happy with it!  I had to make a sympathy card for someone who lost a pet and one of the ideas I came up with was to use pawprints leading upwards into a butterfly.  I love love love the idea and how this came out.  I am still toying with the idea of coloring thebutterfly or changing up the background.

The background was created with a butterfly stencil and panpastels.  I colored silver gemstones with a black marker and punched out three hearts and a butterfly.  I did add wink of stella to the edges of the butterfly.

This card was submitted to the Muse Challenge #118

This card was inspired by the Muse Challange #118 seen below.

Congratulations! A wedding card!

This weeks card was inspired from the CASology Challenge.  They selected 'wedding' as the challenge of the week!

I just love these Heartfelt Creations Flowers and leaf die.  The flowers were stamped in versamark ink and embossed with snowflake embossing powder... because they needed to sparkle!

The leaves were die cut from a piece of paper that was colored with mossy meadow ink (stampin' up) then distressed using Oxi-Clean.  You can see that technique here!

The congratulaions stamp is from Lawn Fawn.

To add some additional sparkle, I found these brads, which are stunning!  I just love the pop it brings to each flower.

Happy Wedding Day!

This card was submitted to the CASology Challenge: #147 Wedding

Chatty Scrappers Card Challenge! Hidden Messages! Multi-Flap Card with Pocket

Update!  This card was selected as the Chatty Scrappers winner this week!

 I am so blessed to have found a group of women on Facebook that have encouraged my creativity and become 'good' friends!  The Chatty Scrappers group has started a weekly craft challenge and this weeks challenge was to 'make a hidden message either by making a layout or a card.  You can do something where it has a flap or a hidden tag, hidden journaling, hidden photos.'

I took the challenge to heart and pulled out some Little Yellow Bicycle paper I've been itching to play with!  I let the paper do all the work on this challenge and used three sheets of cardstock.  The dimensions on how to make this card can be found here!  Others I have seen, use colored cardstock and then make accent pieces.  I used the images Little Yellow Bicycle printed on the page.

The card has three folds, two message places, and a hidden pocket on the interior!  Challenge... met!

First Glance

First wide open flap

Back view

Fully open!

Hidden Pocket!

Working with Glue and Ink

You can create the most unique backgrounds by playing with glue and ink!  In this video, I use distress inks to cover a piece of cardstock then I cover it with glue!  You can make patterns, swizzles, circles, whatever you'd like!  Once the glue is dry.... well, watch for the magic!

I used distress inks, flower/leaf Heartfelt Creations stamps, and Hero Arts 'thanks' die cut.

This is entered in the CAS(E) this Sketch challenge #123

A Thank You Note.... Chevron style!

The 4 Crafty Chicks posted another challenge and guest designer team call and I was selected!!!  

I am so excited right now!  Me, a guest designer?!  See it all here, in black and white!

Scroll down to see the challenge and the card responsible for all my excitement!

I couldn't decide how to incorporate chevron, so I decided to create a chevron background on the Brother Scanncut!  It cut out beautifully!  The cutting file can be found here.  Layered a background and wa-la... A cute bright background!

The flower and leave are from Heartfelt Creations and the 'thanks' is a die cut from Hero Arts.

This card was entered in the 4 Crafty Chicks challenge and guest designer call

Happy Mother's Day: Bokeh Method

Happy Mother's Day!

These are a spin off of a birthday card (subsequently turned anniversary card because purchaser didn't like it????.... no comment) that I did last July.  I loved loved loved the card then and wanted to make it more colorful for Mother's Day.  

Thank you notes! Watercolors and Stencils

It's my theme of the week for sure!  Using distress inks as watercolors and my stencils!  It will be the May 12th Technique Tuesday video!  I hope you enjoy - I truly do love this technique!

I made these cards a few weeks ago - but needed quick thank you notes!  Luckily I know someone (tee hee) that can change out a sentiment in a few minutes!

These backgrounds were made the same way as all the others.  The flowers were directly stamped onto the background and then colored in with distress inks.

For the directions please visit my earlier blog post here.

Stencil and Watercolor Technique Video

Happy Tuesday Everyone!  And Happy Mother's Day!
This weeks video shows how I made all of these cards!  Written directions can be found on the earlier blog post. 

 I hope you enjoy and try this technique.  It makes beautiful cards!

Happy Anniversary at the Preakness???

This card was entered into the Muse #116 Challenge!

It's never a dull moment in my life and I absolutely love the crazy requests I get for cards.  I'm not sure what else I could have done with this request - but it did come out super cute!

Request:  I need a horse and a jockey, with the number 14, and the colors of blue, white, and green.

It was my co-workers daughter's 14th anniversary and they were celebrating it at the Preakness!  Her dress and hat were blue and white striped with green accents.  Adorable.

Thank goodness for the brother scanncut.  I was able to take this jpeg image, convert it to an svg and subsequently fcm file.  This machine is absolutely incredible and was able to cut out the image and all the wisps of the tail and his little legs!

I used scraps to make the background, a few gemstones, and wink of stella on the saddle.

Happy Anniversary Caitlin and Eric!

Happy Mother's Day Cards: Watercolor and Stencils

This has quickly become one of my most favorite cards of all times as evidenced by the number of orders I had for Mother's Day... and a Birthday Card!







This will be the May 12th Technique Tuesday video, so if you love this as much as I do, stay tuned!

Quick directions! I stamped and cut out the flower. Using the stencil, I applied distress inks and sprayed with water. I pressed that into 120lbs cardstock. Then I flipped my stencil back over and stamped a fancy French wording stamp on the stencil, in black distress ink, and laid that back over my original imprint. It adds a whole other level of dimension. I used the distress inks to color in my flowers - added black wink of stella (once it was dry!!!) to the veins of the flower, attached the flower with foam tape, and then matted. The sentiment was cut out with the lawn fawn stitched rectangles. Some have ribbon, some have pearls, some have gems! I just love them all!

Happy Mother's Day!

This card was entered in the 

4 Crafty Chicks Challenge

and guest designer team call!

 

  This card was entered in the

 Creative Moments Challenge!

This card was entered in the

Chocolate Baroque Challenge

This is the special card I gave 

to my mommy!

   This card was entered in the

          colourQ Challenge!

              

Awww... little Luna! Happy Mother's Day from the cat

Luna has been spending some time with my mom while I've been traveling for work.  

The stories I hear from this kitten have been quite alarming!  She's learned how to open the screen door and let herself out (a big no no), jump on the counters and look out the kitchen window, catch mice (my mom lives in the country - nothing scary there!), and get up at 4:30 when my mother's coffee pot machine turns on (a HUGE no no in my house).  

These stamps, from Newton's Nook, were perfect for a Mother's Day card from Luna to my mom.  

Ohhhhh, bad kitty.

Thank you note! With the help of the Brother Scanncut!

I saw a similar card on pinterest and fell in love.  

So I jumped into Brother's Canvas and started making rectangless welded with letters!  I decided to put the letters at the bottom of the card instead of the middle like the one on pinterest had.  

It is a rather large card in person, but I had a gift I wanted to 'stick' inside of it!

Cutting files (.fcm) can be found here!  The layers are combined.  

Drag and drop based on your design!

This card was entered into CASology Week 145: Shape Challenge!
Letters are shapes as well as the giant square!

Nurse Appreciation Day! Wax Paper Part 2

My theme of the week:  watercoloring with stencils and wax paper!  I was asked for two nurse appreciation cards and drew some inspiration from two weekly card challenges:  CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion!

Using the technique from last week's Technique Tuesday video - I decided to once again use wax paper (not like I'm doing anything in the kitchen lately!)

First, I cover 2" of my card with post-it note tape.

Then, I used an Anna Griffin embossing folder to emboss the wax paper (curl side down).  Then I ironed the embossed image (curled side up) onto 120lbs cardstock.  I used my distress inks over the waxed image.  I pulled up the post-it tape, added my sentiment, and some Heartfelt Creations flowers and leaves!  Super fun to make... and yes mom, I own an iron!

Nurse Appreciation Day Cards: Using wax paper

My theme of the week:  watercoloring with stencils and wax paper!  I was asked for two nurse appreciation cards and drew some inspiration from two weekly card challenges:  CAS(E) This Sketch and Fusion!

Using the technique from last week's Technique Tuesday video - I decided to once again use wax paper (not like I'm doing anything in the kitchen lately!)

First, I cover 2" of my card with post-it note tape.

Then, I used an Anna Griffin embossing folder to emboss the wax paper (curl side down).  Then I ironed the embossed image (curled side up) onto 120lbs cardstock.  I used my distress inks over the waxed image.  I pulled up the post-it tape, added my sentiment, and some Heartfelt Creations flowers and leaves!  Super fun to make... and yes mom, I own an iron!