Faux Designer Paper

Awhile back I wanted to come up with a technique to mimic the beautiful layered look of some of the designer papers on the market. I just love the ones with a white design amidst a sea of colors and visual texture - kind of a grungey elegance. So the card below features the first "batch" I did, and Pat published it in the brand new Dec 08 newsletter! I'm blown away by the fabulous cards all the other TJ designers made with this technique, and that's the joy of sharing in this hobby - chances are pretty good someone out there can take a technique to a level you never dreamed of!!

(click on photo for detail)

Card measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

STAMPS: verse - Eureka!/Biblical Impressions, fleur de lis - Paper Inspirations, checkerboard - Stampers Anonymous, writing - Hero Arts, medallion - Judi-kins

INKS: Stampin' Up! Groovy Guava, River Rock, and True Thyme

SUPPLIES: sheer salmon ribbon, Prima paper flowers, brads, embossing ink and powder, heat gun

TECHNIQUE: Faux Designer Paper in the Technique Junkies Dec 08 newsletter

NOTES: on the word panel, I used the RR ink pad to add color and pattern, then stamped the writing in GG ink ~ flowers were stamped with TT on the writing stamp

The busy-ness of this technique may make it seem complicated but Pat has written up some easy to follow instructions so your hardest part will just be deciding what color palette to use and which stamps to play with! This is one of those techniques where it really pays to make a whole page at a time because it doesn't take any longer and you will be able to pick and chose the best arrangements to apply to cards.

Masked Frames Birthday card

(Click photo for detail)

STAMPS: all Stampin' UP! (It's About Time, Sincere Salutations and Sassy Sayings II sets) except the large Birthday which is a partial stamping of a Paper Inspirations stamp

INKS: Stampin' Up! Kiwi Kiss, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point and Cool Caribbean, Signo Uni-ball white gel pen

SUPPLIES: ribbon, SU tag punch, piercing tool, stipple brush

TECHNIQUE: Technique Junkies Masked Frames - current newsletter

NOTES: dark blue strip was made by dragging the ink pad over it repeatedly

Thanks for looking!!

Quick and Easy cards

YIKES! I went out today to pick up a special Christmas present for someone - won't be doing that again!! I make it a habit never to go out shopping on "Black Friday" and now I vividly remember why. LOL

okay, I have some quick and easy cards for you today. When I get some spare time LOL I like to make some cards for an oh-so-awesome gallery of handmade things in Ohio. They are so good to me and let me give them cards to sell as I am able via my Mom :o)

With these I had very loose occasions or just because in mind, and things I could duplicate again if they are hits. I get very bored making duplicates - by the time I get to 5 I realize I don't like my design as much as I had thought LOL ;o)

These are all regular size - 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" - and the base card is a nice heavy bright white 110# cardstock from the Neenah brand. I've been at a stand-still making cards because I didn't feel the 80# I was using produced satisfactory feel in the hand when I added embellishments. And I really like cards that stand up on their own for display, etc.

(click photos for detail)

STAMPS: swirl, large words, snowflakes - Stampin' Up! sets, small words - partial stampings from phrases - Rubber Stampede (Miss You), Hero Arts (Happy Birthday to You)

INKS: SU Riding Hood Red and Baja Breeze, Versa-Fine black

SUPPLIES: Ultra Fine glitter, The Essential Glue Pad




STAMPS: Stampin' Up!

INKS: Staz-On Jet Black

SUPPLIES: Colored Pencils, mini clothespins, large thick pop-dots, Creative Memories Scallop scissors




STAMPS: all - Hero Arts

INKS: Stampin' Up! markers, Versa-Fine black, Distress Antique Linen

SUPPLIES: sponge, water mister

Hope this inspires you to make a few simple but effective everyday cards to have on hand to let someone know you're thinking of them...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope all of you have a beautiful Thanksgiving day :o)

(click photo for detail)

Even tho it's harder to see in a scan than irl, I wanted to show you this card I made using a Pastel Chalk pencil for the coloring. It looks very cool in person, like sketching. It needs to be sealed with a matte fixative of some sort or you will loose the individual stroke lines.

STAMPS: main image - from a retired Stampin' Up! set, sorry I don't know the name, for some reason I just have the one stamp, greeting - Paper Inspiration, leafy vine - PSX

INKS: Marvy Matchables #18 Dark Brown, Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie and True Thyme, Signo Uniball white gel pen

SUPPLIES: piercing tool, brayer, magic mesh, sponges, Tim Holtz distressing tool, gold brads, SU lg. corner punch, white gesso

TECHNIQUES: Painted Mesh - current Technique Junkies newsletter, Faux Stitching - April 2006 newsletter

NOTES: the green cardfront was distressed by running the brown pad over it repeatedly, starting at the edges ~ the corners were stamped with the main image, then sponged with the same ink around the edges

Thanks for stopping by!

This card sure didn't scan well - the card front is actually pure white and the blues and reds match perfectly! But I wanted to share it with you so you can see the very cool stamp set from Stamp Camp - you get a long branch which you can place veritcally for a tree, sets of patterned leaves and 5-6 matching patterned birds - I just love it!

Click on photo for detail

Card measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2"

STAMPS: branch, bird and leaves - Stamp Camp, greeting - Hero Arts, frame - Stampin' Up!

INKS: I'm sorry - I don't remember!! LOL

SUPPLIES: Cuttlebug folder D'vine Swirl, metal-rimmed tag, sponge, circle punch

TECHNIQUE: TJ Cuttlebug Highlight (current Technique Junkie newsletter)

NOTES: for the bkgd panel I dragged blue ink over a blue pc of lighter blue cardstock ~ the black photo corners were made by cutting a black square in half, trimming the notch and rounding the corners with a scissor ~ the clouds were made by sponging blue repeatedly around a scrap of circle-punched cs ~ blue was sponged around the white cs the label was stamped on

On a different note, go to Manna's blog and check out the gorgeous (and even more so in real life!) card she sent me for my birthday along with some very cool stamping goodies!!

Thanks for looking!

A couple Scenic cards

Here are a couple cards I whipped up tonight while watching a movie on TV (did you realize they can stretch them out to 3 hours with enough commercials? LOL) It snowed here last night up in the Midwest so I needed to make some "warm" cards!

Both cards feature the Technique Junkie technique Spectrum Roll from the August 05 newsletter which is just too quick and easy! (with a slight modification since I don't have the metallic markers yet) and 3 fabulous stamps by I Brake For Stamps (the two main stamps are large and sold as single images, and the crackle square is on the newest half-sheet of birds).

Not much else to say, these are pretty self-explainatory...enjoy!

(click on photos for detail)

I inked up just the weeds and stamped the rusty-red panel, crumpled the cardstock and roughed up the edges with a Tim Holtz distressing tool, then peeled the top corners a bit. I used the largest regular Nestibilities circle to cut this panel and then edged it with black ink and a sponge.

Southwest Faux Layers

This card features a Technique Junkie technique called Faux Layers, named because the entire scene is a single sheet of cardstock, which was then layered to rust cs, and then dark brown cs. Takes a while but the effect is so cool it's worth it!

(click photo for more detail)

(card measures 6 1/8" x 4 7/8")

STAMPS: all I Brake For Stamps - blanket bkgd is a single stamp, words from Time To Stamp 'Travel Atc' sheet, and all the rest from the 2 Southwest half-sheets #'s RB026 and RB012

INKS: Stampin' Up! Creamy Caramel and Really Rust, Staz-On Timber Brown, Distress Antique Linen, Tombow marker #969

SUPPLIES: colored pencils, square punch, repositionable tape, Tim Holtz distressing tool, Q-tip, sponge

TECHNIQUE: Faux Layers - Technique Junkie newsletter Dec 07

Thanks for stopping by! :o)

Color Blocking Poinsetta

Another day, another card!

This card features a VERY early technique from the Technique Junkies newsletter archives. From the first ever issue, Oct 2002, this one is the Color Blocking technique.

(click photo for more detail -sorry the dark stamped lines are a little fuzzy, my scanner had a hard time with how high I pop-dotted the flower LOL)

(card measures 4 1/4" x 5 1/2")

STAMPS: I Brake For Stamps half-sheet #RB013, which is on the Specials page right now!!

INKS: Staz-On - Timber Brown, Distress - Antique Linen, Signa Uniball white gel pen

SUPPLIES: colored pencils, paper flower and leaves - Making Memories Christmas Blossoms, off-white large brad, pop-dots, sponges

TECHNIQUE: Technique Junkies Color Blocking Oct 02 (modified by stamping the same image on each panel before adhering to bkgd)

NOTES: word panel and flower are pop-dotted ~ word panel and colored panels were edged with Antique Linen and sponge ~ word panel and paper flower were edged with Timber Brown also

TIPS: use a Q-tip to edge small areas like the flower petals ~ this technique works well with 3 variations in the same color family for the extra blocks

Just a note - the new Technique Junkies newsletter comes out at the end of this month and if you go to Pat's TJ site and place an order or renew, you'll get it!! Having previewed this one I can tell you: it's a hot one!!! I have already picked out a couple techniques from it to make it onto my all-time favorites list for their ease of doing and their wow factor. Can't wait to show you a teaser card - should be able to right around Thanksgiving, if not sooner!

Holiday Postage

well Faux Postage, that is LOL This technique was the bonus on the very second ever Technique Junkie newsletter, December 2002. You even get a downloadable template as shown and instructions to make your own mask!

(click photo for more details)

STAMPS: holly branch - Hero Arts #G2000 Traditional Holly, holly background - Paper Inspirations #P6064 Ornate Holly Background, numbers - Hero Arts #ll760 Good Alphabet, greeting - Anna Griffith I think

INKS: Brilliance - Galaxy Gold, Distress - Aged Mahogany, Antique Linen, Peeled Paint, Staz-On Jet Black, Prismacolor - Metallic Gold broad marker

SUPPLIES: colored pencils, water spritzer, craft sheet, stamp positioner, heat gun, sheer ribbon, Fiskars stamp-edge scissors

TECHNIQUES: Technique Junkies Water Color Distress 02/07 & Faux Postage 12/02

NOTES: ribbon edges were crinkled with a heat gun - I think I'll add a little Diamond Glaze to the berries

Thanks for stopping by! :o)

TJ Holiday Blogstravaganza continues...

Good morning :o) Hope you are enjoying all the holiday cards Pat and the team are sharing - I know I am getting inspired by everyone's different takes on cards for the Christmas season!!

(click photo for detail)

STAMPS: pinecones/lg. ~ Embossing Arts #991-J, phrase ~ Anna Griffith set I believe, pine branch ~ All Night Media #550-H34, woodgrain bkgd ~ Stampin' Up!

INKS: Tombow markers ~ #'s 969,977,068, Distress inks ~ Aged Mahogany & Antique Linen, Versamark

SUPPLIES: aged copper brads, Stampin' Up! word window punch, Stickles glitter glue "Frosted Lace"

TECHNIQUE: Technique Junkie newsletter April 2008 "Aged Tiles"

NOTES: I used the stickles to highlight the tips of the pinecones ~ background is the pine branch image inked, spritzed w/water, then stamped repeatedly before reinking ~ panel behind pinecones is the Aged Mahogany pad dragged over cardstock starting at edges

Thanks for stopping by!!

Blog Candy Winner!!

We have a winner!!! Thanks to all of you for your wonderful sharing - we've got a long list of media recommendations for the winter in the comments :o) I'm so sorry I can't send you ALL a CD, but there can only be one, so Congratulations Cheryl of Artful Creations - the Random Number Generator has picked your number (just a note - all commenters were counted only once). Just hit the Email Me link on my sidebar and send me your address so I can send this off to you...

Blog Candy!!!

Pat of Technique Junkies has generously given the designers some 2008 CD's to offer to blog readers, so here's your chance to win this one!! Go see Pat's TJ site for a better idea of content, but let me tell you - you will NOT be disappointed LOL

Just leave a comment on this post, sharing one of your favorite books or movies! Anyone can enter, but only once please :o) I'll pick a winner this weekend, so check back Sunday...

Best of luck!

Free Vintage Photo Images!

(Click on photo for more detail)

Stamps: map - Inkadinkado by Dawn Houser #8344, phrase - Stampa Rosa #C59-527, ticket stubs - I Brake For Stamps

Inks: Stampin' Up! Going Gray, Distress Antique Linen and Brushed Corduroy, Staz-On Jet Black, grey oil pastel

Supplies: vintage photocopied photo (see below), oversize paperclip

Notes: used pastel crayon around corner of photo and town name for subtle tie-in, and the white part of the phrase was just stamped on scrap paper and overlaid. Photo was printed in gray scale and then aged with sponge and Distress inks

*tip*

Although photo paper will usually yield sharper images, if you print photos onto regular copy paper your inks will look more uniform when stamping across the photo and onto the background cardstock.

AND NOW FOR THE FREEBIES!!!

Came across an old family photo scrapbook at a sale and wanted to share some photos with you. Feel free to use the three photos below in your personal artwork if you'd like. I have a ton more and will post them here every so often for your use :o) I'll put this and future posts under the Index of Posts category "Free Clipart" in case you miss one. They are pretty good size files (750 pixels the long way) so hopefully you can size them however you'd like and they will print out nicely...

Birthday RAKS for me!

I feel so fortunate to have received these two cards from my Technique Junkie friends! I've already thanked them privately but asked for their permission to share them with you because I knew you'd enjoy them as much as I do.

Birthday card sent to me from Trudy P.

(click photo for detail and you can really see all the layers, and the awesome map bkgd)

This one is based on the TJ Layered Collage technique and the stamp credits are:
Stampers' Anonymous: D3-613 Beaux Arts, Just for Fun: ballerina, Art Impressions: Eiffel Tower, mini Arc de Triomphe, Destination Stickers and Stamps Inc (1-866-806-7826): Paris script, See D's Travel #50220: Mona Lisa, See D's French Fancy #50190: Bonjour.

The map background is a copy of an actual map that was photocopied and altered.

Birthday card sent to me from LaVerne W.

(click photo for more detail and you can see all the coppery accents)

This one is the TJ Cling and Scrunch technique, with copper highlights. Stamp credits are: Stampin' Up! background flowers, I think, and the rest are I Brake For Stamps

Thanks again and warm fuzzy hugs LaVerne and Trudy!! :o)

Inspired by Teri Anderson

There's nothing I like better when browsing thru Take Ten magazines than coming across a creation by Teri Anderson! Her artwork just speaks to me - it's happy, it's off-beat in the best way, and for as simple as some of it might look you can definitely tell it was created by an artist.

So here are some cards I put together yesterday with her style in mind, but of course they are all mine so you should go look for her stuff to get the best idea of what she does (you can see her gallery on Art Declassified! and I believe she has a blog and she's been published a ton!)

I had so much fun doing these - I loved putting just a few images, colors and loose layers together, and throwing some office supplies in the mix LOL They go so fast!! As you know I kind of have an aversion to using preprinted designer paper but I made an exception and used some old found papers that I've piled up over the last few months. I need to get some cool old books that are worthless enough I can tear them up and stamp on them ;o)

(Click on photos for more detail)

Stamps: all - I Brake For Stamps (seaweed is actually grass from cactus silhouette stamp)

Inks: acrylic paint, Distress Antique Linen, Stampin' Up! Kiwi Kiss and Bordering Blue

Supplies: staples, silver paper clip, twine, satin ribbon

Notes: used a foam brush to swipe acrylic

*tip*

Staz-On inks work great for stamping over acrylic paints (just make sure the paint is thouroughly dry LOL)

Stamps: cat - Rare Image (see my sidebar), flourish - I Brake For Stamps, calender words - Inkadinkado, phrase - partial Verses Rubber Stamps

Inks: acrylic paint, Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette ink, Pallette Burnt Umber ink

Supplies: staples, note paper, Stampin' Up!'s spiral punch, brushed silver brad, paper flower

*tip*

If you want to add lighter color over dark, you can't beat acrylic paints! Just make sure you wash it off your stamps and brushes right after use (normal water on a scrub pad works fine for the stamps after you've rubbed extra paint off on a scrap of paper)

Stamps: dog - Rare Image (see my sidebar), ruler & phrase - I Brake For Stamps

Inks: Distress Antique Linen, Stampin' Up! Night of Navy, Staz-On Timber Brown

Supplies: hole punch, rectangle slot punch, twine, metal alphabet charms

Note: notebook paper is thin so I layered two pieces with the lines perpendicular to add visual interest (shows up more irl)

*tip*

When using fewer elements, add in texture wherever it fits by using torn edges, textured paper, sponging or direct to paper

Stamps: alphabet - Studio G: Series 3, all the rest - I Brake For Stamps (Stampinback line)

Inks: Distress Old Paper, Peeled Paint and Fired Brick inks, Staz-On Timber Brown ink Supplies: paper clip, National Brand ledger paper

Notes: to get the circle around the number I just used a pen cap

*tip*

When using just a few colors try second generation stamping (ink stamp, stamp off on scrap paper, then stamp project) to add variation of color

Stamps: diamonds - Stampin' Up!, fern - Hero Arts, phrase - , butterfly -
Inks: Distress Fired Brick, Stampin' Up! Certainly Celery, Staz-On Jet Black, acrylic paint

Supplies: string tag, paper clasp, foam brush

Thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed this alternate format :o)

Penguin Family

(click photo for more detail)

This card background features the Cling and Scrunch technique from the Technique Junkie June 2007 newsletter.

The penguins, by Inkadinkado, were stamped on white cardstock using Versafine black ink. I stamped it again on copy paper before cleaning so I could make a reverse mask. I trimmed out just the white body sections for each penguin and laid this copy paper mask over the first stamped image. I inked up the snowflake swirl with Stampin' Up!'s Pacific Point and stamped it as shown.

*tip*

When you're filling in stamped images with color or pattern try to avoid the facial areas as anything too bold will usually look odd, plus the barer area will give the eye someplace calm to focus on.

There were a couple spots that didn't get enough black coverage so I used a Slick Writer to fill in all the black space (I love those pens because they are pure black with no bluish or irredescence, they come in Fine, Medium and Broad, and they write on acetate, vellum, etc.) I used a small stipple brush and the curved side of part of the mask to stipple some of the ink around the inside edges of the baby penguin as shown. I trimmed the penguins out as one piece, leaving a sliver of white around the edges.

I trimmed two panels into graduated tag shapes, stamping the lighter blue sparkle cs with the blue ink and a Stampendous Mosaic Tile stamp. The darker blue piece has a linen finish and the sun/moon is a piece of punched vellum.

For the "ice" I ripped a piece of vellum and folded it over the bottom and then the side edges of the background panel, using some doublestick tape under it where the penguin panel would be over it.

I layered the background panel onto white, and then dark blue, wrapping it with a little fiber that blends better irl LOL

Thanks for looking!

3 Cards

The background on this first card features a Technique Junkie technique called Rainbow Cuttlebug that you can find instructions for on Pat's blog, and the stamps are all from I Brake For Stamps, mostly the two newer sheets of Birds and Flowers. The ink is all from the Kaleidocolor pad titled Cappucino Delight, except the green which is Stampin' Up!'s Always Artichoke.

(click photos for more detail)

I made the background piece first using Pat's directions. Then I used the same inks on the main panel, stamping the flowers, then the edges of the marbled square from the birds sheet, then overstamping with flourishes. I added the verse in green to take up some of the open area, and added a SU Copper buckle with ribbon in one corner and three brads in the other.

For the faux frame I stamped the marble and edged it all with a sponge. To get the frame effect I just laid two pieces of cardstock at the corner angles and sponged in the gap.



This card is pretty basic. I still had all the supplies out so I made another Cuttlebugged background panel using the Branches folder, and then added stamped images from the new birds sheet of rubber and the branch and words from the Time to Stamp line sheet of birds, also carried by Della at IBFS.


The main image panel on this card is actually a reject from the first card. I used SU's white pigment ink on the crackle stamp. The hardware is SU Copper, and the edges were distressed with the Tim Holtz tool.

Thanks for stopping by - have a great weekend!

Frosty Penguin

Another Technique Junkie Holiday Blogstravaganza card! Don't miss checking out more on Pat's blog :o)

(click photo for more detail)

This card features the Ribbon Punched Thru technique from the current newsletter. The inks I used were Stampin' Up!'s Bashful Blue and Night of Navy.

I started by using the scrap from the previous post - the white piece shown that I had punched the snowflakes from - as the starting point for this card. I sponged the lighter blue ink thru part of it to get the background, using more and less pressure as needed to get a kind of airbrushed look.

I used a stamp positioner to repeatedly stamp the Hero Arts Merry Christmas word collage down the side as shown, and the snowflake swirl by Inkadinkado. I stamped the penguin (also by Inkadinkado) on a white scrap with black Staz-On and colored his scarf in with a blender pen and the two blue inks. I used colored pencils on his beak and chest, then added a shadow line with a gray Tombow marker.

I tore some vellum to fit behind the penguin, and mounted him on the cardfront with with foam tape. I also tore a piece of the vellum for the other side, drawing around the greeting of choice with a pencil and then trimming it out with an Exacto blade. I wanted to balance the bright color of the bird accents so I added a bow under the greeting, and little flat-backed faceted gemstones to the corners of the ribbon panel. And that's it!

Check back - I couldn't resist buying the new I Brake For Stamps Birds and Flowers sheets so I think those will be up next, in shades of orange and brown :o)

Three kittens with mittens

Ah! Finally a card to post so I can join in on the Technique Junkies Holiday Blogstravaganza. Go see Pat's blog for links to more fun - giveaways, holiday card samples and links to other blogging TJ designers participating thru-out the month!!

(click photo for more detail)

This card features an image from my Rare Image 'Family Pets' rubber sheet (see sidebar). This little kitten is originally from a vintage childs' reader - so cute! The plaid background and snowflakes are Stampin' Up!, the Snow circular words stamp is by Hero Arts, faux stitching from the Paper Salon tailored tins 'Hemlines' set, and the Holiday Cheer word stamp is Anna Griffith, I think (the set is unlabeled but looks like her line).

I started with a piece of kraft cardstock and stamped the distressed plaid background in black having inked only the outer edges of the rubber randomly and not the center, and then I sponged more black on the edges of the cs. I overstamped the snowflakes from the Lace Snowflakes set with white pigment ink, then embossed with white. I used Distress Weathered Wood to stamp the circular words randomly.

*tip*

Always make sure previous ink is dry and use the anti-static bag to swipe over your cardstock before adding any images that need embossing.

For the main panel I chose three different sheets of blue cs and stamped the kitten twice on each one, trimming one of each into a rectangle as shown to do the TJ Warhol technique. On the remaining pieces I stamped the plaid in white and then trimmed out just the dresses. I glued these onto the panels as shown, and also adhered mittens stamped on white cs.

I colored all the kitten fur in with white pencil, and then colored over this with colored pencils, using some white gel pen on the eyes. I really wanted the kittens to stand out from the background so I went around all the edges with a dark gray marker.

Next I adhered the three panels to a scrap, evening up any uneven edges with a paper trimmer before I stamped and embossed some faux stitching in white along the seams. This panel was layered to a black panel, then mounted onto the background panel. For the snowflakes I just punched white scraps and then stamped the words onto them with the blue ink. I wanted a little finishing so I lightly edged each one with a Sakura Gelly Roll shimmer pen.

For the word panel I used a Cuttlebug die, cutting one oval tag from blue and one from white. I overstamped the blue tag with the words and the blue ink, then the small snowflakes (PSX) in white, and then the Holiday Cheer in black Staz-On. I punched some holes around the edges, backed the blue oval with the white one, and then sponged black ink around edges. I threaded black gingham ribbon over white grosgrain thru the end slots, and then affixed brushed silver brads to each side.

*tip*

When you're going to put brads thru ribbon, use an Exacto knife to pierce the fabric first and you won't end up with those annoying pinched marks in the ribbon.

Also, to trim ribbons like this just fold the end in half lengthwise and use sharp scissors to cut diagonally.

Stay tuned - next up is a holiday card with a penguin!