Risque Women - Mini Mica Book

I am so excited to share this mini book with you. It turned out far better than I had hoped!! Don't ya love it when a project turns out like that!!

For this project I used mica sheets as I did with yesterday's charms. Instead of using 2 identical sheets I just used one piece for the page and adhered the images/words to the front sides using the Glue Film.

Supplies:

Mica Sheets - US Artquest
Queen's Dresser Drawers Skinny Mini Risque Collage Sheet - Hannah Grey
Streuter Glue Film
Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Ranger
Alcohol Ink Tool - Ranger
Archival Ink - Jet Black - Ranger
Flourish Stamp - Fancy Pants
Eyelets
Crop-A-Dile - WeR Memory Keepers
Wire - unknown
Clear Acrylic Sealer - Plaid

Instructions:

1. Cut desired images from collage sheet and print desired words from computer.

2. Determine which images/words you will be using for each piece of mica. I like to lay them all out before hand then arrange the order of sheets alternating sizes & shapes to give the book a fun finished look.

3. Adhere the images/words to each sheet of mica. You may use your favorite adhesive to do so. I used Streuter's Glue Film because it's quick and no dry time is necessary. Simply cut a small piece of Glue Film and place it where you want your image/word. Layer the image over the piece of Glue Film and heat with embossing gun or iron.

4. It is time to add holes to your pages. To ensure I had proper hole alignment on each "page" I made 2 marks on my Non Stick Craft Sheet with an erasable marker. I placed each sheet of mica over the guide marks and added dots with the marker. This way I knew they would all match.

5. Next, flip all of your sheets over and stamp on the back sides using Archival Ink. Let dry completely.

NOTE - these next steps are self explanatory so I didn't take pics....

6. Once the pages are dry, mist the ink with a light coat of clear acrylic sealer. Let dry.

7. Apply desired colors of Alcohol Inks to the back side of each page.

8. Add eyelets and bind in desired fashion. I used a vintage copper wire to bind my pages so they could be hung from a necklace.

Although I don't have the necklace part finished you get the general idea!

So there you have it...another fun project made with Mica!

Told you this stuff was cool. There are loads more fun things you can create with Mica but that's all I'm going to share at this time. I hate to dwell on a particular item too long so at some point in the future I'll come back and explore mica some more.

Tomorrow I'm going to be showing you Ranger's new Metallic Crackle Paints!!!

Mmmmmm you are gonna love this stuff!!

Till then friends, have a super evening!!

Mica Charms II

When I first started talking about Mica I told you there were a couple basic types - composite mica which is lots of smaller pieces of mica pressed together and cut into nice neat chunks.

I then showed you how to make some cool charms from these pieces by layering smaller portions together for a great sparklie look....

Well today I want to show you how to make charms using the Sheet Mica. This is mica as it is found in nature. Several sheets of mica all sandwiched together into one nice neat package!

You can see the difference immediately! Sheet Mica can be peeled apart which is what gives you the variety of color. The more sheets the darker your piece will be. The more layers you peel away the lighter your individual pieces get. Eventually if you peel enough layers away your remaining piece will be almost clear. I say almost because there may or may not be inclusions (see the pic below) which will show up in some layers but not others. Remember, this is a natural material so no two pieces are going to be exactly alike.

On to the Sheet Mica Charms!!

Supplies:

Sheet Mica - USArtQuest

Queens Dresser Drawers Skinny Mini Collage Sheet - Hannah Grey

Streuter Glue Film

Embossing/Heat Gun or Iron

Crop-a-dile - WeRMemory Keepers

Jump Ring

Instructions:

1. Peel your mica piece into 2 separate sheets. (these will be the top & bottom of your charm)

2. Cut desired image from collage sheet. Test fit on your mica piece. Remember to allow room at the top of the mica piece for your eyelet.

3. Place a sheet of Glue Film on one sheet of your mica.

4. Trim away excess Glue Film around all edges of the mica. Don't throw away the excess Glue Film. It will come into play later on.

5. Add your collage image over the Glue Film then add the top mica sheet. This is where the excess Glue Film comes into play. If desired, you may place the excess pieces of Glue Film over the collage image to add extra sticking power. It's really not necessary but it helps use up those little left over bits.

6. Heat with embossing/heat gun or iron. NOTE - if your "sandwich" slips & slides once heated now worries - simply heat and quickly slide the stray pieces back into place.

7. Now it's time to add an eyelet at the top - I have found the Crop-a-Dile works like a charm on Mica...no matter how many sheets you're using, 1, 2 - 10 it cuts like butter.

8. Add a jump ring and you're all set!

And there you have it....you can see how different these charms have turned out compared to the Composite Mica Charms. They have less of the glittery look and offer up a more vintage weathered feel. Both have their places and I'm sure you'll have your own favorite but me, I'd be hard pressed to choose a favorite.

Check back tomorrow where I'll share a fun mini Mica book I've made :)

Till then friends...a little piece of Inky Wisdom....

You know you're doing it right when you're covered in ink!!

Stamp Sale & News

Yes I know, I'm evil ;) But hey...I love to pass on great deals!

Third Coast Art Stamps ~

20% off all Summer 2008 Images

This offer is good through 8-10-08

****** ~ ~ ~ ~ *******

Alpha Stamps News ~

They have added 8 new Clear Stamp Sets!!

My fav. is the Pen & Ink set - 2nd fav. is the Inchies frames!

~ ~ ~ ~ ************ ~ ~ ~ ~

Just For Fun Sale

Hot Summer Sale!!!

All retail orders are 20% 0ff!!!!

Sale good from 7-19 thru 8-4-08!!!

This concludes the enabler alert broadcasting system ;) LOL!!!!

MIA, New Stuff & Olympic News

Hey all...sorry I've been MIA for a bit ~ my Mom took off the end of last week to spend with Bob & my niece before they went back to school. We did all sorts of fun things and well, I slacked off and didn't get a thing done for the blog - LOL!! Then we harvested some oats & wheat on our farm this weekend... Whew!

I promise to be back up and running tomorrow with more fun stuff with Mica!

I do have some cool news I thought I'd share with you though ~ I have a card coming out in the newest issues of Stampers Sampler! My Oh La La stickles card is included in the Theme-less area of the magazine!

Supplies:

Stickles Glitter Glue - Ranger
Archival Ink - Jet Black - Ranger
Glossy Accents - Ranger
Adirondack Dabber Paint - Ranger
Chipboard Letters - Heidi Swapp
Cardstock - Bazzill
Acetate - Office Depot

Instructions:

1. Stamp image using Archival Ink onto acetate sheet & let dry.

2. Flip image over and "color" dress & background using Stickles Glitter Glue. Let dry overnight.

3. Cut dress out and mount onto cardstock using Glossy Accents (it will secure it without showing through the stickles!)

4. Paint chipboard letters with Black Dabber and let dry.

5. Once letters are dry, apply a thin layer of Stickles over the letters. (Note - I usually use my finger to do this. I have better control than if I used a brush or straight out of the bottle.) Let dry.

6. Mount stamped image & letters onto card base.


I also have some cool Olympic news to share with you.....

The man my Mom works for has a daughter that is into running...when I say "into running" I mean she has qualified to be on the United States Olympic Team and is going to Beijing next month!!! How cool is that :) Her name is Amy Yoder Begley and I found out when she will be running....(this is actually copied from the e-mail from her dad because it's sort of confusing)

Amy will be in the Opening Ceremonies on August 8, whether or not you will be able to see her is debatable. Her race is either 9am or 9pm Beijing time on August 15. I am not clear on that. If it 9am then it will be Thursday night at 9:00pm Indiana time as Beijing is exactly 12 hours ahead of us.If it is 9pm then it will be 9am on Friday August 15 Indiana time. Hopefully, I will know something more specific later.

So, if you're into the Olympics, be sure to tune in and root for our team :) It's fun to say I actually know someone who will be participating!

TTFN Friends!!

Ink Stained Sketch - Quad Card

If you recall, the current Ink Stained Sketch is a fun Quad card...



And here are the results......

The first card I made using a brayer & ink for the background. I stamped the image, colored with Alcohol Inks then I made a mask and brayered various colors of Adirondack Dye Ink over top.



This one was made using Adirondack Dabber Paints. I used a combination of Lettuce & Citrus applied to chipboard squares. The flowers were also stamped using the Dabber Paints, cut out and mounted. (it's really not that bright in person but the camera just kept freaking out over the whole thing.)



Sasha also played along by sending this cute little "Hello" card!



Phinny had fun as well and created 3 goodies using the sketch....

This first example she "says" was a failure...why I do not know because I love it... The colors are very soft and muted giving it a romantic feel. Don't you all think it's cool?



She also created these 2 ATC cards using inchie stamps! I love them because she used some of my favorite fall colors :) Very beautiful results!

So there you have it...another fun Ink Stained Sketch to tuck into your idea file :)

Hope you all had a wonderful week and get to relax and take a little time to create this weekend!

TTFN Friends!!

Streuter Glue Film Winners!!!

O.K. everyone ~

Just went over to Random.org and pulled some numbers out of it's "hat"....

The lucky winners of Streuter's Glue Film are.....

......Drum Roll Please......

# 30 - Rainy

# 16 - Bunny B.

and

#3 - Bobbi

Woo Hooo!!!!

Congrats Ladies!!!!!!!!!

If you could e-mail me your snail mail addy I will get your Glue Film winnings out to you soon!

If you didn't win this time, never fear there will be another fun give-a-way soon! Just keep checking back as you never know what might be up for grabs!

Have a wonderful day everyone! - Now go get Inky!!!

Whew....

....well, that's where my camera batteries died! (Of course I didn't share all of the pics - those were my fav's.) 6 full hours of photos later I still had about 1/3 of the show to go through! It was huge, crowded (in areas) and loads of fun! I'm so glad I was able to go - Thank you Rebecca!!!! You're the whole reason I was there!!! Love ya sis :)

Later this afternoon I'll draw the names for the Streuter Glue Film so be sure and check back then!

Jenni Bowlin

Woo hoo....Jenni Bowlin ~ this booth was another one of my fav's!! Set up just like an old fashion general store - her goodies were displayed with such style - who wouldn't love it :) (for those of you that don't know my kitchen is set up in a general store style as well!)















Love this banner...I've got a couple of those planned to share myself ;)

Webster's Pages

Webster's Pages is another company on my MUST HAVE list!! Their papers are soft, comforting and sentimental. I just LOVE them!! I wanted to get more pics of their booth but there were people EVERYWHERE! I was able to get a couple shots though...

Glitz Design

Glitz Design is a fairly new company with some really hip & sassy new paper lines. They definitely aren't afraid of color or bling!!! LOVE their little roller stamps ~ be watching for more on those at a later date ;)





I'm not usually a pink girl but I LOVE this stuff!!!





Cute Rub-On's!!



The Roller Stamps...

October Afternoon

Mmmmm such fun papers & stamps!!! October Afternoon always has neat stuff to offer!