Saturday, April 30, 2011

Design Time Saturday - Creating Depth with Intensity

Today I wanted to talk about how to create depth using your stamps and ink. 

Creating depth on your stamped projects can be achieved with varying degrees by simply playing with color saturation or intensity.  When you vary the intensity of your ink colors you can make the same object become near using a darker tone or further away by decreasing this tone.

Below are two examples of depth created by the intensity of an ink. 

In this first example the vines were stamped multiple times without re-inking the image.  The lighter colored vines while they are the same size look as if they are set further back into the scene than the darker colored vines.  This creates the feeling that there is a lush layer of flowering vines surrounding the main image.  Popping the sentiment off the card actually enhances that effect.

JFF 1-14-11 001

The second example is a winter scene where the background appears flat and distant because the images were all stamped with the same color and intensity of black ink.  Instead we are actually bringing several elements into the foreground (ribbon, icicles, lady) by using either placement or popping them right off the page physically. 

jff 12-10 006

And the final stamped card appears to be completely flat despite the color variations of each square.  This static effect is achieved because the images (lines, witch, sentiments) were are all stamped using the same color and intensity of ink rendering a uniform, even feel. 

JFF - 10-8 - Ink Stained Roni 002

So the next time you reach for your ink pad...think about what type of depth you want to depict in your finished scene. 
Remember, sometimes less (ink) is actually more (depth). 

Friday, April 29, 2011

Just For Fun Friday & Ink Stained Card Sketch

Hello Friends!

I hope you are having a wonderful Friday!!  I have been having a blast reading all of the wonderful comments on the 1/2 Million Visit thread... Sounds like most all of us enjoy the Wrinkle Free Distress/Mono Print Technique (or whatever you want to call it)!  Amazing how popular it is :)  Thanks for all the well wishes and compliments as well! 

Today is as you know Just for Fun Rubber Stamps Friday which I have paired with my Ink Stained Card Sketches.    Today I thought I'd share two sketches since I was busy sewing yesterday and didn't get a chance to post. 

My cards this week are for Mom's since Mother's Day (here in the US) is right around the corner...

(Note: All stamps are of course Just For Fun Rubber Stamps.)

The first sketch today is nice because you can choose to mount your stamped image flat on the card or raise it up so that the sentiment looks tucked under your main image as shown in the example.  I know many people like the flat option when mailing (since it's become such a pain here in the states) while others enjoy the dimension of adding pop-dots (foam tape).

Sketch card 005

I added buttons to the sketch but of course you could change this up and use virtually any embellishment in your stash.  Remember...use what you have :)

JFF 4-29-11 001

The next sketch is a combination of circles and rectangles.  I was originally going to mat the central image with multiple circles but I found that I liked it better as is.   I have rounded all the rectangle corners to tie it in with the circle focal point but it's not vital to the overall design.

Sketch card 006

and here is my card....  I will be sharing the technique I used to color the rose next week :)

JFF 4-29-11 004

If you're in need of Mother's Day Quotes to help finish off your cards and projects remember I have a couple posts that might help....


and


Have a wonderful weekend friends!!

Congratulations Prince William & Princess Katherine!

Sketch card 004

I don't know if you had a chance to watch it today but their wedding was truly spectacular! 

A wedding day fit for any Princess!

I hope they have a long and wonderful life together.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Half A Million Visits!! HUGE GIVE-A-WAY!!!

Woo Hooo!!!

Last night shortly after midnight Ink Stains had it's 500,000th visitor!!!
Not bad for being in existence for only a little under 3 1/2 years.

I have been so excited about this milestone and I knew I wanted to celebrate it in a big way

SOOOO

I am hosting the largest Give-A-Way in Ink Stains history with a retail value of well over $250.00!!!

half mil hit give away 012

Everything you see below plus a few extra goodies you don't see...after all gotta leave a few surprises for the winner to find!

A signed copy of my book: Teach Yourself Visually Collage & Altered Arts, alterable tins, boxes, book, coasters, etc.

half mil hit give away 005

Tim Holtz Seasonal Paper Stash & Stickers, a small Configurations box, Fractured Dolls, 5 bottles of the new Distress Stains, Distress Ink...

half mil hit give away 004

Stamps, stamps and more stamps....(of course)

half mil hit give away 007

Embellishments, Soot Tinted Tape, Enamel Accents, oh and did I mention stamps?

half mil hit give away 006

All tucked into this beautiful brand new Vera Bradley Tote bag!!!!

half mil hit give away 009

So what do you have to do to be entered to win this giant prize package????

You can do several things...

1) Post a comment telling me your favorite inking technique...yes, it's that easy!

2) For a second entry, become a follower of Ink Stains.  If you already follow Ink Stains be sure to tell me.

3) Tell your Friends!  Post a link to Ink Stains (this post) on your blog, favorite forum or Facebook.  Be sure to come back and leave a link to where it was posted.

You will have until May 15th to post your entries!

Good Luck Friends

and

THANK YOU
to all my Ink Stained Friends!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Steampunk Alarm Clock Collage

A couple weeks ago I shared this mystery photo of an upcoming project I had planned...

Mystery Fun 001

Several people guessed that it might be watch parts and hoped that they might have something to do with a Steampunk project in the works.

Well those folks were almost correct...
the photo is of various parts from old alarm clocks
and
This IS a Steampunk project!!

A few months ago I won an auction for several vintage alarm clocks.  I was so excited...I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them ~ I just had to wait till I had the time.   So anyway, after I got the box full of clocks I tore them apart. ~ I kept the shells, covers, clock faces and all non-electrical inside parts....

  Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 001

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 002

Now I know what you're thinkin....what the heck is she gonna do with those grungy ugly things???

A Steampunk Alarm Clock Collage of course!

To prepare the clock the first thing I did was mask off the front of the clock casing and paint inside a nice copper color...

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 007

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 008

After the insides were dry it was time to cover the dingy white plastic case.  I glued a small piece of pattern paper on the back to cover all the holes and text. I then inked the entire back, sides and frame of the clock case using Coffee Archival Ink and the Ink Blending Tool.  Set it aside to dry completely ~ you can also speed drying with a heat tool.

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 013

Next, time to work on the collage.  I figured a great place to start was with a bit of Graphic 45's Steampunk Debutante pattern papers for the background...

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 004

While I'm not using the clock face for this collage it makes a great template for the base for my collage.  With a few notches cut here and there it slips right into place inside the clock body. 

TIP: If you plan on using the clock face in another project it's always good to make a template of the face from chipboard and keep it with the clock casing.  That way when you go to create a collage with the clock you will have the correct template so you don't have to go by trial and error.

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 005

Note: I did mount the pattern paper onto a piece of chipboard to make it sturdy enough to handle the collage.

I inked up the edges with a bit of Walnut Stain Distress Ink and my IBT.

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 010

Then proceeded to pull out all sorts of goodies to incorporate into the collage.  My main image is the Steampunk chick from my March Get Inked kit from QKD.

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 012

After I glued everything down in place I popped it into the clock case and secured the chipboard base with a bit of glue. 

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 015

Now sometimes you get a clock that has a broken bit here or there.  As you can see, one of the ornate corners of my clock was broken off at some point in it's life. 

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 016

No worries... I created this Steampunk Butterfly to cover it up!

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 027

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 032

And I finished off the collage by adding a few more pieces to fill in the rest of the clock body....

Here is the finished Steampunk Alarm Clock Collage...

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 030

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 023

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 024

Alarm Clock Steampunk Collage 018

Fun huh?

Bet you won't look at an old junk alarm clock in the same way again!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Orange Cleaner Image Transfer Update

I have gotten several e-mails over the last few months about an image transfer technique I discovered by accident a couple years ago ~ to see the original post ~ Orange Clean Image Transfer and Orange Clean Image Transfer Examples. 

If you hadn't read that transfer technique it is an image transfer technique that can be used for ink jet printed images and photos.  It works with both black & white images as well as color images.  The complete directions are on the first link above.

The questions I've been getting recently are about the inability to locate Orange Clean solution and if anything else would work.  I guess Orange Clean must be sold in limited areas now because while I did find it on-line I'm told it's not sold as widely as it once was.  So I went in search of to see if any other orange cleaners would yield the same results.

As luck would have it over the weekend I found a couple other brands of orange based cleaner and gave the image transfer another try....

AND IT WORKS!!!

 Orange Cleaner Image Transfer 002

I was just messing around and didn't take a lot of time to burnish the images really great since I was just testing the different cleans.  That is why these images aren't as clear as the original examples.  I also wanted to see how many transfers I could get from one image. 

As you can see the other types of orange cleaners did work and while some of the images are lighter in color they still transferred multiple times!  I'm so happy about this, it means that more people can play w/o having to search out one particular brand of orange based cleaner.   

Now I'm not chemist but I would suppose that the ability to transfer images has to have something to do with the orange oil that is in all of these brands of cleaners.  I can't vouch for acid content so I wouldn't go using this on your photos or in scrapbooks but for making cards, altered arts and other fun projects I say go for it!  It's a fun and inexpensive way to make LOADS of image transfers with images you can print at home.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Friday, April 22, 2011

Easter Egg Card using ANY Stamp!!

As promised today I have a great way to use ANY rubber stamp to create an Easter card for virtually anyone on your list.  This technique is also great for making name/place cards for your holiday table setting.

Supplies:

Stamps
Oval Die-Cut
Inks
Cardstock
Ink Blending Tool

Instructions:

1. You're going to need an oval die-cut of any size depending on what size your finished card need is.  I made two different sizes for this example.  If you don't have a die-cut machine, hand drawn ovals will work perfectly fine!

Easter Egg Card 001

2. Place the negative die-cut on your card panel.  Holding the die-cut negative securely, apply desired color(s) of ink inside the oval with the Ink Blending Tool.

Easter Egg Card 002

3. Once you have inked your "egg", stamp desired image(s) on your egg.

Easter Egg Card 003

Here is an example of what the egg will look like after it has been stamped....

Easter Egg Card 004

4. If desired, you can cover the "egg" with the die-cut oval and stamp around the egg.

Easter Egg Card 006

Here is the finished card....

Easter Egg Card 009

Now, remember I mentioned you could make an Easter Egg Card with ANY stamps...well, it's true!  You can make an Easter Egg for anyone by simply using any stamp you have in your stash!  Who says you have to use bunnies or jelly beans!  In the following example I simply followed the same steps as above and used some "guy" stamps to create a masculine Easter card!

Add a few eggs to my cardstock...

Easter Egg Card 007

and stamp...

Easter Egg Card 010

So, go ahead...
pull out ALL your stamps
and create a mess of Easter Cards for
everyone on your list :)

Happy April & VSM Numbers Tape

Sorry about being late with posting these...too many irons in the fire at the moment.  Trying to get Easter projects done; work on baby shower invites; blog stuff and everything else that pops up in day to day life...  not enough hours in the day!

The winner of the stamps and flowers for the "HAPPY APRIL" give-a-way is....

The Whimsical Wren...a.k.a wanna be .... Margaret :)

The Whimsical Wren said...


Princess Consuela Bananahammock comes to mind ;)

But seriously I quite like my name Jennifer, Elizabeth, as I was born on the same day as Queen Elizabeth II.
If I could choose my name I would name myself Margaret after my Nanna who I miss every single day.

April 2, 2011 6:22 AM

And

The winner of the Vintage Street Market - Numbers Tinted Tape
& "FUN" Door Hanger is....

JACKIE in Alaska!!


Jackie Tuttle said...


Okay - if being old is a contest then I win!!!! Mr. Potato Head was played on real potatoes when I was young (7). Loved Kooties, and of course jacks. Old Maid was THE card game within my small circle of friends. Thanks for the chance to win.

Jackie in Alaska

April 16, 2011 6:47 PM

Congratulations Ladies!!

Please e-mail me with your snail mail addies so I can get your goodies in the mail :)

Happy Earth Day and Good Friday!!!

earth

Happy Earth Day!!

Take a minute today and do something nice for the Earth...take the stairs instead of the elevator, pour the cup of water in your plants instead of down the drain...etc.

AND

Happy Good Friday!!

I'll be back later today with a fun and easy Easter card that can be made with ANY stamps!

Curious???

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Cracked Easter Eggs

I have another Easter Egg project for you today...and their Cracked!

Actually they are covered with Tim Holtz Distress Rock Candy ;) 

Here's what I did....

Stamp a desired image(s) on Tissue Paper (or pattern tissue) with Archival Ink.

Crackle Easter Egg 001

Crackle Easter Egg 002

Color the image with a permanent ink.  I am using Bic Markers.

Crackle Easter Egg 004

Slather some collage glue onto your egg (blown or plastic), carefully lay the colored tissue paper on the egg.  Gently smooth out as necessary and let it dry completely. 

I ended up smoothing it out in the center and snipping off a bit of excess tissue paper at the top. 

Crackle Easter Egg 008

After the collage glue is dry, add a layer of the Distress Crackle Paint - Rock Candy and let it dry.

Crackle Easter Egg 009

It worked perfectly...there are tons of awesome looking cracks all over the egg but I had a heck of a time trying to get a photo that would show them.  I took several and these are as good as it gets.  The white of the egg plus the shine of the Rock Candy simply freaked my camera out. 

Crackle Easter Egg 011

Crackle Easter Egg 016

Crackle Easter Egg 017

IRL it looks almost like a stained glass egg!
It's also got a great texture that you can't see in the photos either.  It's like you can feel each little crack in the egg shell.  Almost like what a hard boiled egg feels like once you crack it right before you start peeling off the bits of shell!

Lots of fun and oh so easy!