Joseph's Coat Stamping Technique

Today I wanted to share the technique called Joseph's Coat ~ I think I've seen it by a few other names but that's the most common. It's a pretty easy technique usually done with a brayer. I don't like using a brayer because I hate spending all the time to remove the black ink from the roller after you're finished. (yes, I'm lazy that way!) I'll be sharing an alternative to the brayer today, some finished examples tomorrow and a "faux" Joseph's Coat technique along with those examples later this week.

Joseph's Coat Rubber Stamping Technique

Supplies:

White Cardstock (glossy or matte)

Dye Ink

Ink Blending Tool (optional)

Rubber Stamp(s)

Clear Embossing Ink

Clear Embossing Powder

Heat Gun

Black Pigment Ink

Brayer (optional)

Dry Cloth

Instructions:

1. Apply the dye ink to the entire piece of cardstock. Some people choose to use a brayer to apply the inks in a linear pattern, I like to mix it up a bit and dab on colors here and there using the ink blending tool. Either way works well.

2. Stamp desired image(s) using clear embossing ink.

3. Sprinkle with clear embossing powder and heat...

4. Once the embossed image cools, apply black ink to the entire sheet of cardstock. Some people use a brayer, I like to use a more direct method and rub the ink directly onto the cardstock. Either way works, it's just personal preference.

5. After you have inked the desired area, wipe the excess ink off of the embossed image.

You'll be left with an amazing colorful image to incorporate into any number of fun projects! The addition of the black ink really makes the embossed images just pop off the paper.

Pretty cool huh?

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a few examples of how to incorporate these images into finished projects!

Phinny's Card Sketch Card!

Happy Monday!

I wanted to share a card Phinny made from the Ink Stained Card Sketch from 5-29.

I think she did a lovely job don't you? It all looks great together from the flowers to the lace and the darling little bird!

Great Job Phinny ~ thanks for sharing!!

Remember if you make a card, atc, or anything at all using any of the Ink Stained Card Sketches be sure and post a link or send me the card and I'll be sure to post it here to share with everyone!!

Postcards 20090607

Hey there everyone!

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend so far. I know I mentioned that I had a collection of postcards and wondered if you'd be interested in my sharing them with you. The answer was an overwhelming yes so each Sunday I'm going to be posting a few to share with everyone.

Please feel free to download them and use them

for your own personal use,

I just ask that you do not compile them as a collage sheet, cd or whatever to sell.

A bit about my collection...I have a little bit of everything ~ modern, retro, vintage, antique ~ from 1900 - now ~ it's all good to me. I am always looking to add to it so I pick up cards where ever I see them. I don't have a lot of holiday cards (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, etc) because those are usually VERY expensive and the most sought after cards around. I've got lots of kitchy vacation spots, a few cool old motel postcards, and quite a few from around the world. I have several postcard and photo "packs". These are little pamphlets filled with anywhere from 6 to 30 postcards or photos of a particular area ~ for example I have one from New Mexico, Colorado, Nice (France), etc. Since some of them contain several pieces I may have to split those up over several days.

I photographed all of the postcards on white watercolor paper so you can trim them out however you feel ~ leave the white, deckle the edge, trim close to the image, etc. I plan on posting the names of the featured location or other info when it's given ~ some postcards don't have names, places, etc so your guess is as good as mine on those. I will share the backsides when there is writing and stamps ~ I love reading them...it's so much fun to catch a glimpse of peoples lives from the past or if there is a cool "postcard" script. Some are pretty boring on the back but others are real gems....

I hope you will enjoy them and please feel free to share any creations you make with them!

Pier & Sun Pavillion, Long Beach, Cal.

(front)

Pier & Sun Pavillion, Long Beach, Cal.

(back)

Heidelberg a. Neckar (sp?)

(front)

Heidelberg a. Neckar

(back)

Cocoanut Tree

"A cocoanut tree loaded with fruit in tropical Florida"

H.I. - Rockford, IL

Petrified Forest, Arizona

Lake Placid NY

"The lake and Whiteface Mt. in winter array at Lake Placid, NY as viewed from Signal Hill"

So there ya go...

Hope you enjoy taking my little postcard journey around the world :)

Parched Pigment Technique Examples

Hi All!!

Yippppiieeeee

It's Friday :)

I'm so tickled, I've heard from several of you about giving this technique a try already and lovin' it!! I'm so glad you're having fun. It really is a great technique to make some awesome looking backgrounds.

Someone did ask me if you could stamp on it...Yes, you can but due to the uneven surface of the finished product your image won't be perfect. It would be similar to stamping on the tumbled ceramic tiles (coasters) ~ parts stamped and parts missing... Just adds that much more to the whole charm of it all I think ;)

Well as promised I have a few cards to share that incorporate the Parched Pigment (heated pearls) background paper I shared yesterday. I hope you find them to your liking!!

One in a million....

From one who thinks of thee....

Be Happy...

YOU

(please excuse the glue...it wasn't quite dry yet...)

AND...

some of you out there asked about using this technique on other materials so I was experimenting :)

IT WORKS!!!!

I tried it on metal, dominoes, wood, scrabble tiles, poker chips, etc. I'm thinking it would work on just about any surface that can withstand the heat. Remember the more glue you use the longer it takes to heat it so the object/foundation will get pretty hot for a prolonged period of time. That I think will be the biggest determining factor on what you can use it on.

Here are just a couple of the goodies I tried....

Soooo I say go forth and parch those pigments!!!

Remember any posts on any of the Parched Pigment threads and you'll be entered to win your own bottle of glue and Perfect Pearls!!

Hope you all have a splendid weekend!!!

Parched Pigments (a.k.a. Heated Pearls, Molten Metal, etc.)

Yes, some of you were correct on your guess on the mystery technique ~ it is a form of the Heated Pearls, Molten Metal, and all the other names it goes by BUT those names are so specific to a particular brand, color scheme, etc I decided to call it Parched Pigments!

So many people will tell you that you HAVE to use Pearl Ex and glossy cardstock for this technique to work correctly...

I say....fiddle sticks!

You know me...always experimenting and trying to find more and easier ways to do things not to mention universal products so everyone (or most everyone) can play along without having to buy more supplies ;)

So I decided to tackle this technique and found that you can use it with any cardstock ~ not just the glossy variety (yes ~ the paper will curl a bit but once it's mounted down to your project it smooths right out) AND you can use it with just about any pigment powder!!!!! In addition to Pearl Ex you can also use Polished Pigments, Perfect Pearls, Jewelz Pigment Powder and more!!!

HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?

OH ~ btw, yesterdays example was made using white cardstock, Olive Vine Polished Pigment, Forever Green Perfect pearls and Antique Copper Pearl Ex in case you were wondering :)

Anyway, on to the technique....

Parched Pigments

(a.k.a. Heated Pearls, Molten Metal, etc.)

Supplies:

White Glue (Elmers, PVA, etc)

Pigment Powder (Polished Pigments, Perfect Pearls, Jewels Pigment Powder, Pearl Ex, Etc...)

Cardstock (glossy or not)

Mixing Tool (finger, stipple brush, paint brush, etc)

Heat Tool

Instructions:

1. Pour out a good amount of glue onto your cardstock.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind...more glue will produce larger bubbles/wrinkles on the finished piece, less glue will produce smaller bubbles and you may be able to see your background cardstock color.

2. Spread the glue out over your cardstock...you can do this with your finger (my tool of choice), paint brush, stipple brush, etc.

3. Sprinkle desired color(s) of pigment powder over the glue. Some people add one color at a time, mix it in then move on to the next color. Personally I just add all of the colors I want to use at once then mix. Totally up to you...

This is about the right amount of pigment powder...you can always add more after you mix it in if you would like.

4. Mix and swirl the pigment powder into the glue....again, use whatever tool you fancy.

5. Heat with a heat gun...this could take a while depending on how much glue you used.

Just hold the heat gun over various areas and you'll notice as the water evaporates from the glue it will form bubbles all over the place...that's what you want!

Once the glue stops bubbling you're finished...

This particular example used less glue, Pearl Ex and colored cardstock. Notice the smaller bubbles and some of the background cardstock color coming through the design.

This example I used more glue, Club Scrap "silk" paper & Polished Pigments...

Check out that mammoth bubble...it grew even larger the longer I heated it!!!

and finally this last example I used Perfect Pearls, a medium amount of glue and white glossy cardstock.

Simply amazing isn't it!

Check back tomorrow when I'll be sharing a few cards I made using this great paper :)

AND

I think it's time for another give-a-way...

So, if you posted a comment yesterday or if you add a comment on today's post or on tomorrow's post with the finished examples you'll be entered to win a bottle of Elmer's Glue and 3 pots of Perfect Pearls to give this technique a try for yourself!!

So, get to postin' peeps...you only have until 6-9 when I'll draw out the winner using Random.org!

Good Luck Everyone!!

Mystery Background Technique...

Hey Everyone!

I hope you've had a great day today...I was very busy. I know I mentioned a new craft studio before but I don't know if I explained how I was getting it... I am going to be changing rooms with my oldest son (21 in July) ~ he's not home much anymore so he mostly just sleeps in his room through the week (at his girlfriends on the weekend) and eats here.

Soooo in order for the switch to happen there is a lot of work going into it before hand...today I started some of that work. I started sorting out/cleaning his room....OMG what a mess ~ he is SUCH a slob and since he's never home he just throws things then leaves. Long story but his room is a total wreck. I got through the whole room today ~ all of the stuff he wants to keep is boxed up and everything else is boxed for storage or a garage sale (yes I know...ANOTHER garage sale ~ my mom's idea).

The next big hurdle will be painting his room (currently John Deere Green & Yellow!!!), pulling up the carpet and laying tile. I have to first decide what color of paint to use in the room...(See the poll to the right)...What color is your craft area/studio? I've heard that some colors make the light reflect differently on the project you're working on creating a false color?!?!? Anyone else ever hear anything like that? I don't want to choose a color that is going to distort my color choices so I don't know what to do. At the moment I'm thinking of just painting it white but I just don't know. I've tried searching the net for info about it but I suck at searches...I can never find anything I want to looks for and lots of stuff I don't want. I'd love to hear your suggestions/thoughts/ideas! If you have pics of your area I'd love to see those too!!

Now, since I worked on Ben's room all day I didn't have a chance to finish the technique I wanted to share with you today so I thought I'd post a shot of it and see if you can guess what it is or how it's made....

MYSTERY BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE....

Here are two pics of the same background...one with the flash, one w/o.

What do you think I used to create this background????

Any ideas?!?!?!

Be sure to check back tomorrow to find out just how it was made!!

Till then friends, have a crafty time of it :)

Faux Stamping on Gesso Technique

Yesterday I shared the "Stamped Gesso" technique and a few people had a couple of the same questions so I thought I'd start with those first.

Q ~ How would it be different w/o the gesso (Why use the gesso?)?

A ~ There are a couple main reasons to use the gesso ~ 1st ~ it tones down the text, images, patterns, etc on the foundation paper without blocking it out completely. If you didn't use the gesso the text/images would over power the stamped/embossed design defeating the whole purpose. 2nd ~ the gesso makes the stamped & embossed image a bright white which enables it to really pop once you have added the ink.

Q ~ How long should I wait for the gesso to dry before I emboss on it?

A ~ Since we're using a very thin layer of gesso it dries almost immediately ~ as soon as it dries you can stamp and emboss on it.

Q ~ Is gesso acid-free so I can use it in my scrapbooks?

A ~ Yes, gesso is safe for your scrapbooks...Gesso normally used as a primer by artists to prime their canvas so it's most definitely safe for your photo crafts as well.

Faux Stamped Gesso Technique

This technique is preformed in the same exact way that I described to you yesterday BUT you can substitute acrylic paints (sometimes thinned) in place of the gesso!! Wooo Hoooo!!!!!!!!!

Yes, plain old acrylic paints will achieve virtually the same exact results as gesso does!

A bit about acrylic paints ~ now, you may have to experiment a bit with your acrylic paint before you get an exact mix that will work.

Remember you want to use VERY thin coats ~ we're only looking to mute the text/images on the background paper not blot them out completely. If your acrylic paint is too thick you may thin it with just a couple drops of water. NOTE: If you do thin your paint the dry time may be extended.

Another benefit to using acrylic paints is you can incorporate color into the initial coat! You have to keep in mind is not all acrylic paints are made the same though. Some paints (usually artist quality acrylic paints) contain a much larger amount of pigment (colorant) than others ~ if this is the case I would suggest using a cheaper variety or cutting the paint with a white acrylic paint to thin out the pigment.

You may notice a small difference (Gesso vs. Acrylic Paint) but I don't think it's enough to have to go out and buy a jar of gesso just for this technique.

Below you will find the card I made using Gesso from yesterday....

and here is a similar piece made using white acrylic paint (instead of the gesso) along with the same stamps, embossing powders and inks.

The most evident difference between the two is the gesso gives a much more even coverage than the paint does but I think the paint offers up a bit of a distressed vintage look. More random to the gesso's smooth coat.

I also wanted to highlight a couple areas that I stamped off the gesso to demonstrate the difference between using the gesso under the embossed image and not....

You can see here that the image is much darker and is almost dull in appearance compared the the gesso'ed area....

The tips of the wings also demonstrate this difference dramatically...

As I mentioned above if you choose to use the acrylic paints in place of the gesso you have also opened up the door to colors! In order for the design to show up on the finished technique you will need to use lighter shades of any color you choose.

You should also keep in mind that the ink color you apply over the initial coat of acrylic paint will change the final color that shows up. For example on the first example I used a blue ink on the yellow acrylic paint which resulted in a green on the upper third of the image.

Below are a few examples of colored acrylic paints using this technique....

Yellow ~

Aqua (it doesn't show up well since it is overcast ~ the flash just washes the color out)

and Pink

One additional tip I wanted to pass on...you must be sure that the rubber stamp you are using is free from other ink before you stamp on the gesso/acrylic. I confess I'm not so good at cleaning my stamps after i use them...I wipe them off so they don't make my other stamps inky but I don't actually clean them after each use. If you try to stamp with clear embossing ink it sort of re-activates the colored inks and you'll have an interesting result which most definitely WON"T be clear ;) If you look closely at the thistle you'll see a bit of maroon mixed in ;) LOL!!!

So there you go ~

Hopefully this has taken the mystery out of Gesso Stamping and given you a few more ideas to stash in your "I must try this...." drawer ;)

Take care friends and have a wonderful day!!!

Stamped Gesso Technique

Happy June 1st!!

I don't know about you but this year just seems to be FLYING along! I can hardly believe we are starting the half way point of 2009!!!! I just don't know where all the time has gone.

I recently had a question from Amy in TX ask about a technique that she had seen used on a card but didn't know for sure how to do it ~ that technique is stamping on gesso. I explained the technique in my e-mail but promised to make up a card and share the step by step pics.

Stamping on Gesso

I *think* this technique was originally used in altered books but works just as well for cards, scrapbook or any number of other paper projects. I love to pair this technique with pages torn from a vintage book or atlas...the gesso tones down the printed text without blocking it out entirely for a great effect! It is also very handy on pattern papers as well!

Supplies:

Book Pages, Map Pieces, or Pattern Paper

Gesso

Foam Brush

Rubber Stamp

Clear Embossing Ink

Clear Embossing Powder

Dye Ink

Ink Blending Tool

Heat Gun

Paper Towel or Dry Cloth

Instructions:

1. Paint the book pages with one or two coats of Gesso and let dry completely. NOTE: Your paper may curl ~ no worries...once you mount it onto your finished project it will flatten right out.

You can see here how the gesso makes the text less noticeable but still somewhat visible.

2. Stamp desired image directly on the gesso'ed paper using a clear embossing ink.

3. Sprinkle the image with clear embossing powder, shake off the excess and heat. It's a bit hard to see but your page should looks something like this....

4. Cover the image with desired color(s) of ink using the Ink Blending Tool or other foam.

As you can see from this photo what a difference the gesso makes after the ink has been applied. Notice how translucent the ink appears when it is applied over the gesso'ed area as opposed to the non-treated edge. You can also see how it interacts with the embossed image (lower right hand corner).

5. Wipe the excess ink from the embossed image. Your image is ready to be used!

This is a great technique for altered books of course but it also looks great incorporated on cards, ATC's, Gothic Arches, Scrapbook Pages (if you use an old book or piece of a map page you'll want to be sure to hit it with a shot of something like Archival Mist or "Make It Acid Free" since most vintage paper is full of acids.), Altered Arts and more!!!

Here is a semi-finished example incorporating this technique onto a card. I didn't stamp the sentiment because I wanted you to be able to get a feel for how this technique will look on a project.

Now, don't fret if you don't have any gesso on hand ~ tomorrow I'll share a "Faux Gesso" technique that's just as cool and produces super results with something a bit more common!

Till then ~ sending you all inky wishes!