Tie Dye Fabric Flowers

Since lots of people have been playing with their new Distress Acrylic Dabbers I thought it would be fun to share a nifty technique for creating your very own tie-dyed flowers without having to mess with rubber bands ;)

Supplies:

Acrylic Dabber
Fabric Flower
Water (in a spritzer)
Heat Tool (optional)

Instructions:

1.  Prepare your flower for painting.  Now I say this because I know many of you may purchase packages of individual flower sections.  I like to purchase floral branches of white flowers and use those instead.  You can pluck all the flower heads off the branch and disassemble the flower so you're left with many flowers for pennies a piece. 

2.  Lightly dab the desired colors of paint on the flower.  I like to use 2-3 colors at a time but you could use one just as well.

3. After you have your flower painted like you want, it's time to saturate them with water.  You want enough water to really dilute the paint and make it spread over the entire flower.

4. Now you just have to let your flower dry...or you're impatient like me you can speed up the dry time and use your heat tool ;)

And here's how mine turned out....

Sooo much fun and the color possibilities are endless!

Distressed Stickles Technique

 

 

Distressed Stickles Technique

by Roni Johnson

Ink Stains with Roni

 

Today I wanted to share a technique I started playing with way back in April 2010.

Originally I had used Aleene's Thick Tacky Glue combined with Distress Ink to come up with Distress Glue Technique. 

I thought it might also work by substituting Stickles Glitter Glue in place of the glue and give it a bit of sparkle at the same time.

As luck would have it, it worked perfectly.

 

Supplies:

 

Stickles Glitter Glue

Cardstock

Distress Ink

Ink Blending Tool

 

Instructions:

 

 

1. Begin by squeezing a dab of the Stickles onto your finger tip.  

 

 

2. Lightly spread the Stickles over the cardstock.  You don't want solid coverage, just steaks of the Stickles here and there.  

 

 

3.  Continue spreading the Stickle over cardstock until the entire piece has been covered.  For this example I used Lime along the bottom 1/3rd, Waterfall in the top 2/3's with a few dots of Frosted Lace dotted here and there.

 

 

4. Now comes the hard part....  You have to let the Stickles dry completely.    I don't it doesn't sound like much but I'm always excited to get to the next step to see what's hidden on the paper.  If you're like me you may need to pull out your heat tool to speed the drying process.

 

5. After the Stickles have finally dried it's time to see what you've got.  Use the Ink Blending Tool to apply desired color of Distress Ink over the cardstock.  I started off by using Peeled Paint along the bottom.



I used Stormy Sky for the upper 2/3rd's of this example.  You can see how the Distress Inks have brought out the Stickles Glitter & Glue.  It's really very pretty up close.  Since the colors of ink I have used were lighter you can use the panel as is. 

If I would have used a darker ink such as Chipped Sapphire, Gathered Twigs, Aged Mahogany, etc.  it might have made it harder to see the Stickled areas.  In that case all you would do is to take a damp cloth and wipe away the excess ink from the Stickled areas.

 

And here is what my finished card looks like....

(All Stamps: Just For Fun Rubber Stamps)

 

Distress Stickles Variation I

 

1. For a variation on the original technique you can apply one or more lighter colored inks to the cardstock prior to adding the Stickles.  Once the Stickles have been applied over these foundation inks they will show through the Stickles after the final step.



 

 

In this example I used Chipped Sapphire for the final layer of ink.  You can see how the Stickles are harder to see at the top of the tag and after cleaning how well they show up (along the bottom).

 

 

The cleaned up tag....

 

And my finished tag....

 

Distressed Stickles Variation II

 

For this example I initially applied Old Paper Distress Ink to the cardstock.  I then applied Cinnamon Stickles over the entire panel.  For the cover-up - reveal layer of ink I applied several colors of Distress Ink - Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Gathered Twigs, and Tea Dye.

 

You can see how some of the inks highlight the Stickles more than others. 

 

And my finished card...

 

I hope you have enjoyed this unique way to incorporate Stickles into your art!

 

Taken it Easy...Manatee Style

I don't know if you've had a chance to check out the new stamps at Just For Fun Rubber Stamps but I wanted to share one of my favorites this week....

This beautiful Manatee...

I colored him with Spectrum Noir Markers and white gel pen then inked the background with Distress Stains.  The card background was stamped, inked then I also added Stickles for a bit of sparkle to the water.

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps used: Manatee; Seashore Sentiment; Seagrass (small), Water

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Club Scrap Spring Chorus Blog Hop!

Welcome to April's

Club Scrap ~ Spring Chorus

Blog Hop!

Club Scrap has really outdone themselves this time...

Spring Chorus is an amazingly beautiful kit with luscious colors, dreamy prints and set of awesome UM rubber stamps.  I could hardly wait to start working with it.

This month I have created a fun mini album/book that has all sorts of flaps here and there to play with.  I hope you enjoy it....

Front Cover...

Left Hand Cover open...

Right Hand Cover page opens to first page of the flip book.

1st page flipped open to the left.

2nd page flipped open to the right.

both the left and right pages have 2 smaller flaps that also open to show the inside of each page. 

Here all 4 of the smaller flaps are open.

back to the 4 smaller flaps closed...

and Page #3 flips down....

Page #4 flips up and exposes the inner most page (white & green flowers)...

And here's a look at the book with all of the flaps open!

This was such a fun book to make.  For what initially looks like a small book it has a surprising amount of space to use for photos, journaling, keepsake mementos, ephemera and more.  If you're interested, I'll be working on posting directions for next week.

 

Thanks so much for visiting...

hope you have enjoyed your time here.

Please feel free to hop on over to

 Deb's Blog,

the next stop on your trip through the

Club Scrap Spring Chorus Blog Hop!

Karen Wyngaard

Pat Huntoon

Julie Heyer

Ron Perry

Roni Johnson

Deb Charlesworth

Deb Weller

Jill Pechauer

Tricia Morris

Hetty Sanders

Kay Williamson

Cathy Gray

Anne Marie Healey

Anne Hunter

Jen Rodgers

Debby Hernandez

Club Scrap Preview - Spring Chorus Blog Hop!

Whew, seems like this month is just flying by!

I can't believe it's time for the Club Scrap Blog Hop tomorrow.

I'm very excited...

If you've not seen April's kit you're really gonna love it!

Sunny Yellow, Light & Dark Blue, Light & Dark Greens with some lovely prints thrown in.  The kit also comes with a fun set of stickers (the sheet with 1, 2, 3 on it), a strip of faux gemstones and a nifty Fern stencil.

and I just love the UM stamps...

That little bird is just darling!!

So, this month I decided to make another mini album/book.  I know I know....I made one last month too but I tell you, this paper is just so much fun to use, a card (or several) or a scrapbook lay-out just isn't enough.  I am compelled to create so I do.  Rest assured though, this book is totally different than the globe album, it's got all sorts of fun flaps here and there.  I think you'll enjoy it.

Anyway, I wanted to show you what I did with the fern stencil....  Initially, I placed the stencil on the left hand side of the sheet of cardstock and squirted on Fresh Lime Dylusions ink.  I carefully lifted it up, flipped it over and placed it on the right side of my cardstock.   It's kind of hard to see but it's there...

I then carefully pressed the stencil into the cardstock to make sure that most of the ink covered stencil came into contact with the paper.  Yes, in some areas there was more ink than the cardstock wanted to take so some squished out around the edges....that's o.k. though...it's all good.

And here is what it looked like when I lifted it up!  You can see about 1/3rd of the way down a line in the fern...that's a crease in the paper.  I should have inked before I creased but I didn't think about it till I saw this.  It's no problem in the end though ~ once the book is assembled you don't even notice it.

After this layer ways dry I added a few squirts of Lemon Zest and London Blue - both of which match the kit really well. 

Here is what the page looks like after it had been stamped and inked around the edges...

You'll have to stop back in tomorrow to find out what the entire book looks like...

hope to see you then!

BTW, after making this page my fingers are REALLY inky!!!

Brings a smile to my face.

Earth Day Recycled Steampunk Charm Pendant

I'm sure if you've been visiting here for very long you know how much of a pack rat I am and how I LOVE to recycle things...even before it was popular.

Well, today I have a Steampunk themed pendant that is very much recycled - perfect to help celebrate the day!

Here she is....

 

 

The chain, pearl strand and crown finding are all recycled from vintage pieces of jewelry....

 

 

The watch case and gears are from an old Timex I took apart....

 

 

and the background is actually a piece of an old map I have.

 

 

I glued the map to the watch back, added the little girl collage image and finally I glued the word "Play" as well.   I added several small gears & watch parts to the front of the watch case before I glued the watch back to the case.  Adds a bit of fun movement to the piece.

 

After that I added the various recycled findings and hung several watch gears off the bottom rung of the watch.

 

Fun fun!

I hope you can find a little inspiration in these recycled goodies

and

if you have a chance give it a go yourself!

 

Happy Earth Day!!!!

GlazOn n StazOn Domino Charms

After I got done with the Dream ATC yesterday it got me to thinking about other projects I've worked on where the GlazOn might come in handy.  One thing popped instantly in my mind that I just had to try today to see if it would work or not.

I LOVE to stamp dominoes to use as charms but one of the problems I always seem to have is my Bic markers smearing or rubbing off the ink I use to stamp the design with.  You have to be soooooo careful you don't mess up the image before you're done coloring it.  WELL, I decided to give it a try!

"Marie" Domino Charm

Supplies:

White Domino
StazOn Opaque Inks - Pink Blush - Tsukineko
StazOn Ink - Saddle Brown, Blazing Red - Tsukineko
GlazOn - Tsukineko
Fashion Ticket Stamp - StampersBest
Alcohol Markers - Bic
Gelly Roll White Gel Pen
Stickles Glitter Glue

Instructions:

The first thing I did was to cover the entire domino with Blush Pink Opaque StazOn ink.

After it is dry I added a thin layer of the GlazOn.  Someone asked about how much to put on ~ one small dot on this Mini Squeegee is all I used.  I spread it across the face of the domino and let it dry completely...  It seemed to dry much quicker today - only about 10 seconds.  Maybe it's because it's a domino instead of metal.

After that layer of GlazOn was dry I pounced a bit of Saddle Brown around the edges.

I then stamped the Marie Antoinette ticket on the domino using StazOn.  After it was dry I applied another thin layer of the GlazOn.

Next was the big test...

would the GlazOn work

and let me color the image without smearing?!?!?!?

Woo Hooo....

YES IT DID!!!!

I used Bic Markers, Sharpie Markers, White Gel Pen and Stickles Glitter Glue - NONE of it smudged or smeared the ink!  I topped this all off with a final layer of the GlazOn to protect the finish. 

All I have to do to finish off this charm is to glue on the bail to the back!

I can't tell you how happy that makes me. 

It will make creating flawless stamped domino charms a breeze now!

What Fun!!!

Tsukineko - StazOn, GlazOn, Sheet Metal & MORE!!!

Recently I have been blessed with an opportunity to share a large variety of inking products with you from Tsukineko and Imagine Crafts!

I'm sure most of you have known or heard about Tsukineko for quite some time...they are the manufactures of some favorite lines of ink such as StazOn, VersaMagic, VersaMark, Brilliance (one of my favs!!!), Kaleidacolor Ink Pads and more. 

But did you know they also made Fantastix, Fireworks Craft Ink Sprays, Shimmers Sprays, Goosebumps, Memento LUXE Inks (a new mixed media ink), GlazOn, and so much more??

Well, in the coming weeks I will be sharing various projects created with these products and more! 

I hope you'll enjoy them and find the information useful in your own art!

Today I wanted to start off by sharing a fun product called GlazOn paired with a variety of StazOn inks, StazOn Opaque inks and a SheetMetal ATC blank.  GlazOn is a quick drying glossy medium that is applied between multiple layers of StazOn inks.  This medium will help keep your colors clear and prevent mixing of multiple colors making mud!  I also find it amazing how the glossy medium really makes each color pop.  You'll see what I mean when we're finished. 

Tsukineko "Dream"

SheetMetal ATC

Supplies:

SheetMetal ATC Blank - Tsukineko
Opaque StazOn Inks - Soft Lilac, Mellow Mint, Butter Cream, Blush Pink, Ivory Black - Tsukineko
StazOn Ink - Forest Green, Blazing Red, Azure, Saddle Brown - Tsukineko
GlazOn - Tsukineko
Ink Blushers, Brushstix, Mini Squeegee, StazOn Stamp Cleaner - Tsukineko
Flower, Butterfly, Flourish Stamps - StampersBest
Sentiment - Just For Fun Rubber Stamps

Before I get to the project I wanted to talk a bit about the Opaque StazOn Inks.  This is a very quick drying ink and will eventually dry out in the pad which is why the pads come un-inked with a large reinker.

To ink you simply squirt out a bit of the ink on the pad and either use the tip of the reinker to spread the ink around or use one of the mini squeegees to spread the ink across the pad.   I didn't worry about going all the way to the edge because I usually pounce my stamp several times across the pad to ink it up.  

After you've applied the ink, let the pad set for about a minute or two for the ink to absorb into the pad. 

My foundation for this ATC is a SheetMetal Blank.  It's a thin sheet of metal which can be embossed in a die-cut machine and also comes in smaller square or round charm size bits.

Instructions:

1.  Apply a layer of Lilac Opaque ink over the entire surface of the atc.  To do so, I used an InkBlusher  for this and the next step. 

After you have covered the entire ATC, let the ink dry completely.  This ink takes a little bit longer to dry than the regular colors of StazOn.

2. After this layer of ink has dried, apply a thin layer of GlazOn.  (sorry, I was so into this I totally forgot to take a photo of this step!)

3. Next I sponged on a bit of the Butter Yellow Opaque StazOn to the center of the ATC and let it dry.

4.  Apply a layer of GlazOn over this coat of ink. (Hah!  Remembered this time ;)  lol!!)

You can see how glossy it is.  Really makes the colors pop in person.

5.  Then I began the stamping.  I started off by stamping the flourish stamp with Mellow Mint...added a layer of GlazOn

.

7.  Stamped additional flourishes using Forrest Green StazOn ink and added a layer of GlazOn medium.

8. Stamped flowers using Blazing Red StazOn ink, added a layer of GlazOn medium.

9. Next I added a bit of Blush Pink Opaque StazOn ink to the flower petals using a Brushstix tool. 

Since the inks wouldn't overlap I also stamped a butterfly image using Azure StazOn and the sentiment DREAM using Opaque Ivory Black.  I then applied a layer of the GlazOn medium.

10.  Finally I added a bit of Saddle Brown StazOn ink around the outer edges of the ATC and a final layer of the GlazOn to protect the finished project.

I told you the colors really pop!

I'm amazed at how bright and beautiful they stay even under all those layers of ink & medium.

Now, I know this sounds like it's a long drawn out process but actually it's very quick and easy.  The layer of GlazOn is so thin that it dries within 20-40 seconds (I'm sure dry time varies depending on temps & humidity) and if you've ever worked with StazOn inks you know how quickly those dry as well.  I think this entire ATC took less time to make than it did to choose the stamps I wanted to use - LOL!!! 

Seriously, it only took about 10 minutes once I got everything around, the pads inked and my design decided upon.  Not bad at all when you consider all of the steps I've gone through.

I'm thinking of turning it over and stamping a second design on that side along with my name to use as an ATC name tag to wear when I teach, go to conventions or craft shows. 

This metal is thin enough to make punching a hole in the top a breeze.

So, there you go...

not sure if it enlightened anyone or not

but I hope you enjoyed it all the same!

Have a super day friends!

It's time to go get inky!!