Monday, September 30, 2019

A Splash of Color...


I made this card recently for the Imagine and Waffle Flower creative combo.
I just love this set of brushes and paints - it is so versatile and can be used for all sorts of occasions. 


I stamped and embossed all of the elements then watercolor painted them using All Purpose Inks which is what I used to create the background mat as well.


Several of the elements were mounted to the card using foam tape to give it some nifty depth and dimension.

If you'd like to check out the tutorial with photos, product information and details please see:


Friday, September 20, 2019

Fall String Art

Hello Friends!

I wanted to share a Fall themed string art project I made recently...


Our local library hosts a Craft Therapy class each month and this was the class for September. They provided all of the materials and a variety of patterns. I choose the pickup truck because I just love them. 


I only had time to pound in all of the nails and string the window, tires and bumper at the library and brought the rest of it home to finish.

Now I have to admit this wasn't my first try at string art. I have done it in the past but have been underwhelmed by the results. I decided to do things a bit differently this time and put my own spin on it.


I decided that I was going to add depth and dimension by doing a few things different from what you normally see.  Most of the time the string is very high up on the nails resulting in a flat looking design. To help overcome this flat look I decided to string up specific areas and push them down about three quarters of the way down on the nails and build up which created depth where there normally wouldn't be any. You can see this in the grey rims which make the black tires stick out more. I also pushed the white window strings down about half way.


You can also see the depth on the pumpkin as I started off with the stem which was pushed 3/4 way down on the nails; next came the light orange body of the pumpkin. The final step for the pumpkin is another way chose to make this string art different. I took a darker orange and created an outline which helped to bring the design together, add another layer of depth and created a tidy finish for the design.


The third thing I did to set this string art design apart from traditional designs is to vary the amount of string I used for each portion of the design. I used heavier amounts of string on the fenders, less on the body of the truck. This helps to create different values of red from less intense (on the body) to really intense (on the fenders). By doing so this created another type of depth on the finished project.


The final difference which I explained on the pumpkin was adding the outline which helped give the overall project a polished finishing touch. You can see to help add definition I used a brown thread to define the fenders adding another layer to create depth and dimension.


The original project was supposed to be centered on the board but of course I don't often follow directions ;) LOL...  I knew I wanted to add some type of sentiment so I positioned my truck just a bit lower than center to allow space for whatever I decided to add to the finished plaque.  I die-cut the letters Welcome Fall from Ebony Starstruck Foiled Paper from Rinea. It gives it a bit of shimmer without detracting from the string art.

I am just thrilled with how it turned out and I hope you like it as well.





Thursday, September 19, 2019

May all Your Weeds....

...be wildflowers!

Isn't that such a sweet sentiment. It is from the Joy Clair set called Friends & Flowers and this is the card I created by pairing this stamp set with Rinea Foiled Papers!


I am so happy with how this card turned out. It was inspired by a card I made my uncle for his wedding recently....


Fun huh?


Anyway, I used the flower filled pick up truck and Stazon ink to stamp the image several times on various colors of Rinea's Foiled Papers. All the parts were fussy cut and reassembled to create this fun pick-up.

For complete details, step by step photos and a product list please see:


Have a lovely day friends!



Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Back to Basics: Line Art


Hello Friends!

I hope you're having a wonderfully inky week. I don't know if you realize it or not but Imagine has started to compile a Beginner Guide for simple quick and easy techniques that don't take a lot of expensive tools or products. My first contribution to the Beginner Guide was line art.


Do you realize the cool cards you can make with a single color of ink, a stamp and a pen?
The possibilities are endless. The orange card is featured in the Beginner Guide but I have added a few more examples to really spark your creativity. 

Stamp: Unity Stamp Co.

Featured card in the beginner guide...CAS black and white design.

Stamps: Unity Stamp Co

The next example was made using Desert Sand Memento ink pad and Dual Tip Marker - just a bit more elaborate design that the straight lines from the first example.

Stamps: Unity Stamp Co - Mermaid; Rubber Stamp Tapestry - Ocean Bits

This card is a bit more advanced adding smaller stamps into the frame which takes a bit of planning but still very doable for a beginner.

Stamp: Unity Stamp Co

This is a bit more involved design that incorporates various shapes and designs. I used circle dies to create the circles but you will notice that I didn't draw through the stamped image. Just take your time and it will work out fine. I matted the panel on Ruby Starstruck Foiled Paper from Rinea. It really makes the design pop don't you think?

So there you go...several ideas on how to make a quick, simple card with style!



Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Amethyst - Imagine's Color of the Month for September!

Hello Friends!

This month Imagine is teaming up with Waffle Flower Stamps. My first project incorporates the Color of the Month - Amethyst - with the stamp set - Bouquet Builder 3


This is my creation!! I was inspired by the amethyst stone (shown below) and the lovely color gradation it has naturally. I used my stamp positioner to stamp the image 3x with 2 VersaFine Clair inks and the Electric Purple Radiant Neon ink.

No photo description available.


After all 3 panels were stamped I embossed them with Sparkle Mboss embossing powder for an extra lovely bit of sparkle!


For complete details please see the post:




Monday, September 9, 2019

Rinea Foiled Paper Citrus Shaker

Hello Friends!

I'm still catching up from last month on project sharing. Today I wanted to share my Citrus Shaker using Rinea Foiled Papers and Unity Stamp Co's Citrus background frame. I love these background stamps...they are so useful - especially for shaker cards...check it out...

Time to Squeeze the Day!


I made this card by stamping it onto each of the different colors of foiled paper (using StazOn Ink) for the oranges, grapefruit, lemon and limes.


They were all fussy cut then reassembled in order which took a bit of time figuring out.


And once reassembled they were fashioned into this shaker!

For complete step by step instructions please see:


Hope you enjoy!

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Shimmer & Shine Sunflower

Hello Friends!

Today I wanted to share a card that is up on the Rinea page which combines Rinea's lovely foiled papers with Imagine's products to create this....


You can find the full directions on the Rinea blog here:


but I wanted to share some photos of it with you...


It's amazing how you can take a simple stamped image and with a few cuts you can turn it into a lovely 3d piece of art on a card. Initially I stamped the sunflower head 3x and the leaves twice. A few snips here and there and wallah...


I had lots of fun making both the background and oval mat with Imagine inks and stencils.
I hope this inspires you to pop on over to see how it was made :)


Supplies:
Rinea: Gold/Gold Glossy Foiled Paper; Emerald/Emerald Starstruck Foiled Paper; Jade/Jade Starstruck Foiled Paper; Sapphire/Gold Glossy Foiled Paper

Imagine: Fireworks! Spray - Bahama Blue, Cottage Ivy; VersaFine Clair Ink - Verdant, Green Oasis, Shady Lane, Paradise, Nocturne; StazOn Pigment Ink - Piano Black; StazOn Studio Glaze - Spiced Chai; Sponge Daubers; On Point Glue; Tear It! Tape

Unity Stamp Co: Shimmer & Shine Sunflower Stamps
Stamplorations: Leaf Stencil
Gina Marie: Flower Stencil
MFT - Oval Dies; Scallop Oval Die; Fishtail Die
Cardstock, Double Stick Foam Tape