Silhouette Stamping

I thought I'd continue today with another fun way to stretch your stamping power. OH, btw, before I forget the stamp I used yesterday was from Rubber Stampede by Delta.

I don't know about you but I love the look of Silhouette stamps BUT I don't always have the extra $'s to buy more soooooo....

Today I wanted to show you a nifty way to turn many of your stamps into silhouettes with just a few simple items you probably already have around your home....two actually....an extra fine and a fine black marker.

Now you may not need both of them depending on the stamp you're using. I find it is easier for me to use the extra fine for outlining my image and the fine for coloring in larger areas. I don't have a very steady hand so trying to use just the fine line is out of the question for me. ;)

Instructions:

1. Stamp the desired image using black ink...

Stamp Credit: Great Impressions SOTM - August 2010

2. Outline the very outside edges using the extra fine marker (this makes it easier to color in the next step). You may have to determine just where you want the outside edge to be for example if you notice on the area I have colored in about mid way down the left side I could have joined the two petals that are very close but I chose to go in a bit further to the secondary level of flowers. Totally up to you.

3. Now fill in the rest of the image with the fine tip marker (you could use a larger tip if you like). If you work in one direction, one area at a time you will notice a much smoother look than if you colored it in like you would with crayons.

And here is how this particular image turned out....

Now this won't work with EVERY stamp you have in your collection as there are many that just don't have the right angles or lines to make it work but here are several more examples of images that I turned into silhouettes (stamp credits are listed in each photo).

Pretty cool huh?

It really changes the whole look of the image doesn't it?

You have an entire new collection of silhouette stamps

and it didn't even cost you a dime!!

Can't beat that now can ya?

Tomorrow I'll have another fun way to showcase your stamps giving them a totally new look.

Till then friends,

go play with some ink!!

Quick Cards - Quad Stamping

Hi Everyone!

Well, first day for Bob back to school!
He's happy with his teachers and is ready to get going.

Today I have a fun idea for creating 4 quick cards with very few supplies! This design is a super way to use up all of those scraps in your paper basket (box or wherever else you keep all your left-over bits in)! These cards are also VERY versatile as you can personalize and embellish with whatever you have on hand.

Quick, Easy, Use up Scraps,

Embellish from your Stash....

Doesn't get much better than that!

Supplies:

1 Rubber Stamp

Black Ink

4 Pieces of Cardstock in Coordinating Colors (can be scraps)

4 Card Panels

Scrap Papers, Embellishments, Bits of Ribbon, Etc.

Instructions:

1. Measure the stamp you wish to be your card focal point and gather 4 pieces of scrap cardstock (preferably cardstock with a smooth side for stamping) in 4 different colors.

2. Now stamp your image on each piece of cardstock with black ink.

3. Now stack all 4 images and make 2 cuts...one horizontally and one vertically cutting all of the sheets into 4 equal parts.

TIP: I used a couple paper clips to help keep all of the sheets aligned.

You will end up with 4 nice neat piles of images!

4. It's time to assemble your cards....Select 1 piece ~ each a different color ~ from each of your piles to use on the first card. Assemble using various bits and pieces of cardstock, pattern paper and embellishments from your extras. Repeat until all 4 sets of images have been used!

Here are the 4 cards I made using what I had on hand....

(I still need to add sentiments but they are done for the most part.)

You can vary the look of the cards by the extra bits you add as well as how you mount or trim out each of the various sections.

As you can see I mounted some sections using double stick foam, mounted the pieces on cardstock, trimmed using deco scissors, inked edges, used a corner punch...

The possibilities are just endless!!!

Now it's your turn!

Pull out your favorite stamp,

your scrap basket

and

have some fun!!

First IRL Show/Sale - EEEKKKKK!!!

Oh my gosh I am SOOOOOOOOOO nervous!!!

Today I signed up for my first in person real life sale/show!!!

Yes, I did it...

Despite being terribly shy I sign up to do a "Ladies Night Out" show at a neighboring town's public library.

The Ladies Night Out is an annual event that the library hosts and it includes an art gallery, food tasting and vendors selling everything from the usual Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, to hand crafted items (that's me!). It's going to be Sept. 10th this year.

Now I've taught classes before but that's different because those people came with a specific reason in mind...to learn, create, etc. Not so here but Mom suggested I get a booth and said she'd help me with it. Today I called to see if there was space left and there was! I am officially booth location #31. I am going to be taking mainly greeting cards but I am also going to take a few altered art / collage pieces and a bit of jewelry if I have time. I am also going to take a few of my books as well.

The show is only 3 hours long but I'm still really nervous!

My greatest fear is that I go and nobody buys a thing...

Wish Me Luck!!

EDIT - Thanks everyone for your votes of confidence, words of wisdom and encouragement!! I started pulling out all my cards, projects and more trying to decide how I want things set up and displayed.

I'm starting to get a bit excited now ~ due in large part because of you all!

Thanks so VERY much!

Queen Kat Designs Royal Blog Hop - Color Challenge

Hi Friends!

I hope you're all having a wonderful week so far!

Today I have a Color Challenge from Queen Kat Designs for their Royal Blog Hop!

I have to tell you when I first saw the color palette I was a bit nervous. I normally don't use such soft, delicate colors BUT I have to tell you I am very pleased with how my card turned out!

I ended up loving the colors and had lots of fun with it.

So here is the color inspiration....

Beautiful huh?

Still a bit scary but here is what I created....

I started off with the ribbon as my main inspiration and worked from there. I found a few pieces of cardstock in my stash that matched perfectly then I set about creating the card.

The main image is Emma from my Jacob & Emma set. She is stamped using Victorian Velvet Distress Ink...I think it matches the rose color inspiration pretty good!

I took a cue from both the inspiration photo & my ribbon for flowers.

(These were hot off the press...as you can see the glue isn't quite dry yet!)

All of the flowers were cut using the smallest flower on the Sizzix die - Flower Layers #3. To give the flowers life I placed the petals on a foam pad then I used an embossing tool (the type with the balls on each end) to create circles in the center of each petal. This is what gives them the curved look. To assemble I simply cut different numbers of petals from each flower and glued the ends together. The largest assembled flower used 2 complete diecuts while the rest took 1 1/2 or less.

After I had each flower assembled I added a bit of Distress Ink to the edges using the Ink Blending Tool and a pearl to the center of each flower completed the look.

The leaves were also embossed using the same method and Distress Ink was added.

So there you go...

If you haven't had a chance hop on over to the Queen Kat Designs Store....

You'll be pleasantly surprised to see that ALL stamps are 25% OFF until August 18th...that's tomorrow so if you've been eyeing a particular stamp or set NOW is the time to buy it!

You can also see the newest Get Inked kit for August which is shipping now. It is a travel/vacation theme!!

Have a wonderful Day!!!!

Blasted Alcohol Inks

Several people asked me to share how I created the background for this Just For Fun Color Challenge card...

I actually learned this technique several years ago from a friend. The method I was taught involved a standard soda straw as the propellant! (Thanks Mindy!!) I have found that skinny straws work better than the larger diameter straws because the thin straws tend to focus the air better and are more precise for directing the air flow.

This technique has been popularized recently by Tim Holtz and his pairing this method with canned air (sorry I can't remember what he calls it).

His method using canned air is in turn what inspired my experimenting with the Blasted Stickles technique!

I will be sharing results using both methods.

Supplies:

Glossy Cardstock

Alcohol Ink

Straw or Canned Air

NOTE: Due to the quick drying nature of Alcohol Inks some of the photos are "just for show". This technique really takes two hands and each step must be preformed immediately after each other. If these steps aren't carried out in quick succession it will not work.

Straw Method Instructions:

1. Add one drop of alcohol ink to your glossy cardstock.

2. Hold the straw directly over the AI and blow as hard as you can. If your straw is angled even a small amount the resulting "splat" will also point in that direction.

(Just so you know, this is one of the staged photos as you can tell by the angle of the straw.)

3. Repeat steps #1 & 2 using the same or additional colors of Alcohol Ink.

And this is what your results may look like....

Canned Air Instructions:

1. Apply one drop of alcohol ink to your glossy cardstock.

2. Immediately, give the alcohol ink a quick short blast** of canned air. This will result in a larger pattern than you might achieve with the straw method.

3. Repeat steps #1 & 2 using the same or additional colors of alcohol ink until the desired effect has been achieved!

Below are several examples of this technique created with both the Straw Method (left) and the Canned Air Method (right).

You can see for yourself the difference between the two.

CANNED AIR WARNING: Since the canned air is so powerful you may want to cover the surrounding area with newsprint or other scrap paper. I would also suggest wearing an apron. This is what my craft sheet looked like after I made the examples for this post.... It was also on my shirt, cell phone and several of the examples I made.

Now I know most people tell you that you can't use alcohol inks on plain cardstock BUT I'm here to tell you that you CAN!!!

Below are examples of this technique (both methods) on plain old white cardstock. Granted the resulting splats don't cover as much area as those on glossy cardstock but it's something to keep in mind if you're looking for more muted results.

**I wanted to point out that you will achieve different results using this method depending on several factors.

First it works best with short quick blasts of air as mentioned in the directions. Longer blasts of air release a bit of propellant creating an interesting pattern (notice the giant purple splat).

Also, I have found new cans of air are harder to control than partially used cans. These two examples were created using an almost full can of air....notice how thin the ink is and all of the extra little droplets of ink splattered along the way. This is what really makes a mess of your cloths, work surface and surrounding area. Nothing is safe ;) LOL!!!!

So, there you go!

Another inexpensive and fun technique to try out!

Just think of all the color combinations you can experiment with.

I guarantee you'll have a stack of wonderful background papers in no time!

Vintage Postcard Sunday - Michigan!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

I'm getting ready to make my home-made pizza :) It's actually 4 pizza's in one ~ we all like our pizza a little bit different so I try to please everyone with their own "sections".

Today I thought we'd travel not so far from my home and go to Michigan!

I've got some really OLD postcards from MI...the oldest and my fav. from 1903...it's a hand painted image mounted on the postcard!

Really beautiful :)

So here you go...

Vintage Michigan!

(this one is my fav!)

Whew...quite a trip huh?

Hope you enjoyed it!

Things to come this week....

By request I'll be sharing the step by step tutorial for the background that I used on the card for JFF Color Challenge #24 . Very easy and lots of fun ~ I guarantee you'll be making a pile of cool background papers cause it's so much fun ;)

I also have a couple fun ways to incorporate stamped images into your projects...neither of which require any special tools or mediums. Just a sharp pair of scissors or your cutter.

Of course I'll share a couple challenges with you and maybe even a distressed ink/stickles video (depending on how the week goes).

Hope you'll stop by and check it all out!

Have a wonderful evening friends!!

Just For Fun Color Challenge #24

Happy Friday!!!!

Whew...this week has just FLOWN by...

Seems like I lost a few days between getting home from vacation, preparing for Bob to go back to school (he starts back next week) and today. I'm not exactly sure where the time has gone but it's time again for Just For Fun's Color Challenge!

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps

Color Challenge #24

Today we have a nifty color combo....

I was sure that I had some Alcohol Inks that would do nicely...

Stamp used: G2698 - Brushed Wildflowers

Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink colors: Cranberry, Lettuce, Sunshine Yellow

If you'd like to play along be sure to post a link to your card on the Just For Fun blog....

You might be the lucky winner of a $50.00 gift certificate just like this weeks winner Mindy Young!!

(If you haven't had a chance you should really check out all of the amazing entries from last weeks challenge!)

For more inspiring ideas for this color challenge check out the other awesome creations from the rest of the Just For Fun Girls!

Just For Fun Blog
http://jffstamps.typepad.com/jffstamps/

Just For Fun Rubber Stamps
http://www.jffstamps.com/

Glenda Brooks
http://glendabrooks.blogspot.com/

Sherry Cheever
http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/

Terre Fry
http://terresscraptherapy.blogspot.com/

Broni Holcombe
http://bronih.typepad.com/splashesofwatercolor/

Roni Johnson
You Are Here ;)

Elizabeth (Beth) A. Moore
http://www.runswithscraps.blogspot.com/

Starla Nelson
http://sn-exploringcreativity.blogspot.com/

Sandy Sandrus
http://www.sjscleverideas.blogspot.com/

Kathy Tucker
http://www.kattoys.blogspot.com/

Margarita Ybarra
http://Mycreationsbymy.blogspot.com/

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!

Distressed Glue Technique - Stickles Variation

Today I have variation on the Distressed Glue Technique that was just featured on Splitcoast Stampers.

I tried this technique using Stickles Glitter Glue and it works GREAT!!!

The addition of the Stickles really kicks this technique up a notch on the "Glitz" scale ;)

Here you go....

1. Apply a few dots of one or more colors of Stickles Glitter Glue...

2. Smear it around and let it dry.

3. Apply a layer of Distressed Ink using the Ink Blending Tool.

4. And embellish as desired!

(Stamp - Great Impressions)

How cool is that????

I am lovin' how the finished tag turns out ~

the glitter shows up better in person than it does in the photo.

Blasted Stickles Technique Examples

As promised today I have a few finished cards incorporating paper created using the

Blasted Stickles (glitter glue) Technique!

Here you go....

I hope they inspire you to give this technique a whirl!

Oh Baby..

Stamp: The Angel Company

True Love...

Stamps: Cat's Life Press

Show Off...

Stamp: Great Impressions

So what do you think?

Makes a very quick yet stunning addition to any card!

Hope you give it a try and if you do,

please feel free to share the results here!

Blasted Stickles (Glitter Glue) Technique

Continuing with my Stickles kick I thought I'd cover a request at the same time!

A few people have e-mailed me asking to see a couple more for my "Blasted Stickles" technique examples that I originally shared back in July. It seems they are having trouble getting their glitter glue to spread.

I am going to try to get a video made within the next week or so as well to help explain it a bit better. I know some people prefer "live action" ;)

Blasted Stickles Technique

Supplies:

Stickles Glitter Glue or other Glitter Glue

Canned Air

Cardstock

Instructions:

1. Add a few drops of glitter glue to your cardstock... I usually start with my darkest color and work towards lighter colors.

2. Hold the tip of your straw about 1.5" - 2" directly above the dot of glitter glue. Squeeze the trigger for a quick blast of air. A quick blast will do...if you hold the air on the Stickles too long it may flash cool it to the point it doesn't flow properly. This should create a nifty bulls-eye in the glitter.

NOTE: Not all glitter glue is the same consistency...if you will notice in the upper left hand corner of the cardstock you can see a blob of the Stickles which was blasted to the edge. This color is Magenta ~ it seemed to be thicker than some of my other bottles. No worries ~ you can shoot this blog again wherever it landed.

3. Add your next color of glitter glue (if desired).

4. Blast those dots of glitter glue with air as you did with the first color. At this point you will notice that some of the first color will be blended a bit with this color and it may also change the original bulls-eyes of glitter glue. Perfectly natural...again, no worries!

5. I finished this example off with one more color as shown...

6. Now your Blasted Stickles needs to dry completely before you can incorporate it into your projects. This could take several hours depending on how thick the layers are. It will also depend on the humidity which right now in Indiana is outrageous... sooooo I'll have a few finished projects for you tomorrow while this dries ;)

Now, I also gave this technique a try using Distressed Stickles (shown below) and I must say it was even easier to achieve way cool results! Since Distress Stickles seem to have a thinner consistency and larger particles it flows quite nicely as you can see!

So tomorrow I'll share a few cards created using this nifty technique!

I will also have a variation on one of my other techniques which incorporates Stickles in place of another medium ;)

I can't wait to share it...the results are way cool!!

So, I'll see you tomorrow with more glittery delights!