WOYWW #114

First on my desk this week is another map card.The maps are from a set available from Stamp & Go.com, SIFS65,which features 6 maps, some waves, a couple of ships, and a ship in a bottle. It was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black onto an alcohol ink background then cut into a mosaic and matted onto black card. The two tags use a stamp from Artifacts, The Stamp Bugs own stamps, Spirit of Adventure Collage. Just went to their site to get the link, and their u.m stamps are on sale at the moment, with 25% off! The Time & Tide stamp is by Paper Artsy, Clocks plate 3, which also features some of the stamps in the third picture I have posted. I sponged old Paper, Antique Linen & Walnut stain Distress inks onto some script background paper and both tags.



  The second card is again using alcohol ink backgrounds, and the Crafty Individuals stamp from a couple of posts ago. The square card base was covered in paper from Dovecrafts Aquamarine Floral Prints paper pack.

Here are some of the clock images from the Paper Artsy plate, stamped onto Distress inked card, cut out then the 'glass' created with Glossy Accents. The card was coloured by swiping Distress inks onto a craft mat (mine came from Poundland, a baking sheet) spritzing with water then wiping the card/tag across the ink. Here is a link to Tim Holtz showing how he does it. The clock hands have been cut out using the Silhouette, using a 'dingbat' font that features clocks & timepieces.Have a great Wednesday, and if you are new to this idea, visit the Amazing Julia Dunnits Stamping Ground and join the fun.

Crafty Individuals Butterfly Square

This card features all Crafty Individuals stamps and paper. The background sheet comes from one of their pads of 6x6 background papers, Book 4, Trees. This was overstamped, using Adirondack Denim ink, with CI 021, which is a mixed words stamp. I can't find this exact stamp on their site now, so possibly it is retired, although there is a very similar one, CI 012. The base card is dark blue, scored & folded, then cut down to 15cm square.
 I cut down the sheet to fit the front of the card, and matted it onto black card. A length of Navy Blue ribbon was wrapped around this panel, then knotted , placing the knot towards the bottom. I mounted this centrally
 on the card front.
The Butterfly Square, CI 135, was stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black, then heat embossed. The image was coloured using Promarkers, then cut out & matted onto Dark Brown cardstock.I mounted this at an angle in the lower right of the panel.
 A Blue butterfly was made from the same stamp using fusible fibres, and I attached this with silicone glue, which also secures the wire anthers.
He is actually a little difficult to see in the main picture, he looks like a patch of blue background colour!, so here he is on his own,lol. Oddly, the butterfly looks bluer in this picture than it does on the card- I was not exactly pleased with how it came out. I have 3 or 4 shades of blue fusible fibres, but they all seem to develop a green tinge when the fibres are heated.

WOYWW #89

Two cards on my desk this week, both using Crafty Individuals stamps.The card on the left uses the 4 Birds stamp, CI 184, and Owl Postage, CI 225. Both were stamped onto an oil pastel background made with yellows and browns, using Staz-on black. I cut the four birds into individual images, and trimmed the owl stamp down to the postage stamp edge. I matted this onto gold card, and trimmed down to leave a border, using a stamp edge blade.  I then cut a sheet of gold card to size slightly smaller than the card front, which is an A4 sheet of cream linen card scored & folded, and used landscape format. I cut the gold card into four sections and added some matching paper from the Papermania Earthtones pack. Two panels had very narrow brown ribbon wrapped around, then all the images were put in place, sticky tabs used on the two bird images that overlap the owl. A small greeting was added to the final blank section.
The card on the right  uses CI 001, dragonfly postal stamped onto an oil pastel background made with blues & greens. A sheet from Papermanias ' Antique Cream' paper pack was used to cover the front of the card, then I tore 8 strips from toning mulberry papers, and attached these in a wave across the front of the card. The stamped image was matted onto a scrap of dark blue card, and trimmed down to leave a very narrow border. Two dragonflies were made using Fusible Fibres and the dragonfly on the stamp. These were attached with silicone glue.8 small flowers were punched from pearl paper, in toning colours, and paired up, overlapping the petals, and secured with a yellow brad, again attached with silicone glue.
How to make the oil pastel backgrounds is shown on one of my pages.

I thought this may be of interest to anyone with a Tesco nearby. I went in earlier this week, and in their £1 promotion area, I found this pack of 10 DL size storage wallets, like the sort sold for storing peel-offs. I thought they would be really useful for scraps and offcuts of paper/ spare stamped images/etc, and ten for a quid is a real bargain! So much so, I think I will be getting another couple of packs when I go in again- you can never have too much storage, can you?

And talking of storage, here is how I store my brass stencils- photo albums intended for 7 x5 photos, they cost me around £2.50each, again they came from Tesco, in one of their end of line sales, I think. I have adapted some of the pockets, dividing them down the middle with a row of staples, or in some a row across the centre, then cutting a slot in the side, depending on the size/shape of the stencils.

Birthday Wishes

Another card featuring Stampscapes Lakeside Cove. White card brayered with shades of yellow Adirondack dye ink, overstamped in Black Staz-on, then a little brown ink added to the rocks. the sentiment was also stamped in brown, onto a scrap from the main image. The image  and mat were cut out with the two largest dies from Nestabilities Labels 8. The base card was cut to 15 cm square and covered with a sheet from the Papermania  Antique Cream pad then a length of toning ribbon wrapped around, with a folded bow added on top.

Lakeside Cove at Sunset

Smooth white card brayered with Adirondack Sunshine Yellow and Butterscotch. A reverse mask from a post it note added to the top centre, and Distress Ink Wild Honey brayered across for the setting sun. Stampscapes Lakeside Cove, 049G, stamped in black Staz-on and allowed to dry. Reverse mask reapplied over the water, and the reflected sun brayered with Wild Honey again.A little colour sponged onto the rocks with Adirondack Espresso.The image was cut out with the next to largest die from Nestabilities, petite scalloped ovals, and a bronze mat cut with the largest size, this one also embossed. A sheet of distressed brown paper from  the Papermania Simply Elegant paper pack was used to cover a DL card blank.A length of toning ribbon was wrapped around the card front, and stuck down with DST where the image would be placed.The image was mounted with DST also. Three small squares with bits of image on were cut from the remains of the die cut image and matted onto bronze card  and adhered to the lower right corner, and a sentiment label was made using another scrap.

Birthday Knight

For this I took a piece of slightly textured cream paper, and stamped the large wording from the Elusive Images Medieval Heraldry u/m sheet at the top in Staz-on Timber Brown.I stamped this twice, one next to the other. Below this is stamped the script from Elusive Images Scripts & Timepieces u/m plate, also in Timber brown.This was stamped three times down the length of the paper below each of the large words. Over this I stamped the crowns and shield from the Heraldry plate. The shield was stamped in Adirondack Red Pepper, the crowns in Espresso, both second impressions.Tear  the paper at roughly 8 cm wide down its length.  I then used a colour duster to add some Terracotta ink in patches lightly over the design. I stamped the Knight in Copper Pigment ink,(Ink It Up) onto some cream hammer card and embossed with Stampendous Copper Detail powder.The sentiment was also stamped & embossed the same way. Cuttlebug folder 'Forest Branches' was used on a sheet of gold card cut to the width of the embossing folder, but twice the length. Because of the type of pattern, you can emboss half the card, then turn your card round and emboss the other half, just line up the pattern you have already embossed to the bottom of the folder.Trim down the image and matt onto black card, then onto the embossed card, leaving a wide border. Repeat with the sentiment, not leaving so much of a gold border. Black card was cut and folded to make a blank 10 1/2 cm x 20cm. The stamped script paper was then attached to the left side of the card blank with about 1cm folder around the back. The Knight was mounted with foam pads to the right hand side, and the sentiment added to the bottom. Red & Gold cord was wrapped around the spine and a red tassel added.

Sympathy

It seems that most people find Sympathy cards difficult, and I  think the key to these is 'keep it simple'.You don't need to use every technique in your card-making arsenal- the fact that you have put your effort into the card will say more than any words.
     Also keep an eye open for stamp images that would be suitable- you want images that you can use in a very basic way- like this just on a pale brayered background for instance.Its very easy to buy stamps that have 'cute' appeal, but sometimes 'cute' just won't do it!
     The thing I love about this stamp is its versatility- it fits this subject perfectly, it would also  be really good for a mans card, and if you look further in the posts, you will find the image in reds and blues, where it seems to really come to life.
 I kept to a muted palette and a simple style for this one. The Treeline stamp from Crafty Individuals is stamped in Adirondack Espresso onto a background of brayed card using Adirondack Sandal, Latte and Hazelnut inkpads.The image was cut out using Nestabilities Labels 8, and a dark brown mat cut with the next die size up. I used two shades of brown vellum, and a Woodware border punch  to create the panel. The image was stuck down with DST, then a dark brown ribbon wrapped around the front & tied in a knot.The sentiment  (Clevercut/Stampsaway ) is stamped in the same Espresso ink onto a scrap of the brayered background, matted onto dark brown card again, and two small brown brads added.This was mounted with silicone glue, just to give a little height to allow for the legs of the brads. You could also use little sticky fixer pads spaced between the brads for the same end.

Dragonfly, Butterfly, Bee

The stamp is #90349,Dragonfly, Butterfly, Bee, The Tapestry Studio Collection, from Stamps Happen. I stamped the image first on a brayered background, then used fusible fibres to make each of the images.These were cut out and mounted onto the three panels with silicone glue.The base card was covered in paper from the Papermania 'Simply Elegant' paper pack. The sentiment is from an Elusive Images themeplate, stamped onto a little of the brayered background and an eyelet added for threading. Eyelash wool was wrapped around the card and crossed on the front, the sentiment threaded on, and also a butterfly charm.

The Night

The stamp is from Stamp Francisco, called The Night. Stamped in Timber Brown Stazon on marble effect card.Matted onto black then marble card. The diamond stamp is by Judikins, Harlequin Background(2671J) also stamped in Timber Brown Stazon over part of the base card, then added atorn piece of text paper from K & cos Lifes Journey pad. Small peeloffs for sentiment.

Rose collage

Used A4 cream linen card as the base. Stamped the main image ( Graphicus) using Sepia Versafine on a spare piece of linen card. Scored folded & trimmed the base card, then stamped with some flourish stamps in the lower left & upper right corner, again using sepia Versafine. Used mica powders to add some colour to the background of the main image, and also for the Rose & leaves. Added Sentiment in Pink Flamingo Ancient Page ink.Mounted image on pink then dark brown matt. Mounted inside the stamped corners. Added insert, then pink organza ribbon bow. Stuck down an acrylic heart with silicone glue to finish.

Rose Panel Birthday

The image is from Elusive Images, Rose Stem Script . 
Coloured with H2O's. For the base I used a copper card, and a bronze piece of cardstock was run through the Cuttlebug with the D'vine swirls folder. I cut this to an oblong, then rounded two opposite corners.The image was stamped on white cardstock with Gold Encore Inkpad then heat embossed with Gold embossing powder.I trimmed this panel down, then cut three similar sized panels from fancy handmade paper. I arranged all four panels in a cascade down the cuttlebug embossed card, held inplace with DST. Gold ribbon was then wrapped around and tied in a bow before the panel was attached to the front of the card with DST.

Sunset Birthday

For this card I covered an A4 folded blank with a sheet of embroidered handmade paper, for texture. I lay the two strips of ribbon across the paper first, and held them down with DST before attaching the paper to the card blank. For the image, I brayed a piece of white cardstock with Adirondack Lemonade, then added a sun mask from a post-it note.Next I brayered Sunshine Yellow then Sunset Orange( Adirondack) then removed the mask. The Seedhead stamp (from Craftfairy .co.uk) was stamped in black three times, not re-inking between impressions and also varying the height of the image.Birds stamp is from Lavinia Stamps and again is stamped in black across the 'sun'.Trimmed down to size, this was matted onto Bronze then Black glitter paper( Hobbycrafts), leaving the Black longer. I stamped the Happy Birthday again in black onto  some of the offcuts from the image, and matted onto more glitter paper.

Waste Nothing,or Serendipity in action!

Just to prove that there really is no such thing as scrap to a crafter. All of these images were stamped onto 'waste' paper that I was rolling off excess ink from my brayer onto.The purple one was a sheet I had started to make a background on, then didn't like, hence the pale 'moon' , so I had put it in my scrap paper pile. When I bought this owl stamp (Crafty Individuals) ,and the treeline stamp, (Crafty Individuals) they seemed like the perfect partners to these.I probably couldn't have made more perfect backgrounds for these stamps if I had been trying.Needless to say, I now look at my sheet I'm rolling off onto as a potential new background and change to a new one before I turn it muddy!

Ophelia 2

This is the Ophelia image facing the opposite way. Stamped with Stazon Timber brown, onto grey marble card, and the corners punched with a southwest punch, then mounted onto dark brown card.I then added a little colour with some pink mica powder applied with a cotton wool bud to the flowers in her hair. The base card is cream linen A4 sheet scored, folded and cut to 15cm square, trimmed with a deckle edge blade and used in topfold format.This was stamped with the Judikins Harlequin background in Light Brown Ancient Page ink.The image is then mounted on foam pads at a slight angle.Narrow dark brown ribbon attached to the left hand side, cut at an angle. The 'bow' is made with two pieces of ribbon folded in to a circle then attached one on top of the other with a pearl headed pin, then cut off the majority of the pin with wire cutters, and fold over the remaining pin with a small pair of pliers. Stick in place with a little silicone glue.Small peeloff sentiment to finish off.

Happy Birthday

3 strips of mulberry paper in brown shades torn to size('draw' the lines with a wet paintbrush & pull the piece apart to give the feathery edge).Stuck to card base with DST. Piece of mesh adhered to this with spray adhesive. I put it on a piece of scrap paper in my waste bin to spray it. The vase shape was cut out of card and embossed with a wavy line from a stencil. Leaves and small flowers are both paper punched. I stuck two flowers together with PVA glue, twisting the top one so it filled the gaps of the lower one.I also put a dab of PVA in the centre of the flower and left it to dry for a couple of minutes before adding Glitter Glue to the centres.I tried putting just Glitter Glue on the paper, but it came off when it dried, but stayed put with the PVA.The wires were coiled around a pencil and stretched out a little for shape. I decided where the vase was going to be then put a large blob of silicone glue down and stuck the ends of the wire into that before putting the vase over the top. I also used blobs of silicone to hold the wires where I was going to put flowers.A small piece of mulberry paper adhered to a piece of handmade paper and the sentiment added.