Gorgeous RAKS from Evelyn!!!

Can you believe the beautiful artwork Evelyn sent to me this past week? I love both pieces equally even tho they are totally different!!

This one uses the Aged Tiles technique from the Technique Junkie newsletter. The flowers are 3D with sparkley gold centers, and the panels are pop-dotted.



This one features a technique I've never seen in person ~ Pennywise Arts's 'Beaded Cuttlebug'. I must go check that out thoroughly - it uses an intriguing product called Sugar Beads! Here's the link for it, and you can see more of Evelyn's art there!!

THANKS AGAIN EVELYN - I LOVE THEM!!

Birthday Cake

I am still sick with the flu, and although I can feel I'm getting better each day my productivity is still really low. I feel like I'm doing everything in slow motion. So I won't even mention how long it took to put ONE card together!! LOL

(click for more detail)

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

STAMPS: dog - Rare Image Rubber Stamps, cake and herringbone bkgd - Stampin' Up!, sentiment - My Favorite Things

INKS: Staz-On Jet Black

SUPPLIES: Cuttlebug folder 'Numbers', colored pencils, Inksentials white gel pen, black brad, pink embroidery floss, brayer, ribbon, paper flower, Colorbox Stylus sponge tip dauber, pop-dots, Nestibilities oval, scallop-edge scissors, small circle punch, white acrylic paint, glitter glue

SKETCH: MJ's #51

NOTES: sadly I don't own all the Nestibilities LOL so I cut the white oval with one, then used a pencil to trace around the outside edge of the die onto the green cs, then cut along the line with the scallop-edge scissors ~ I wanted a fancy brad but didn't have any to fit so I used a white gel pen on a black brad. It smeared a bit when I scanned it so I'd recommend using something more permanant, like acrylic paint, white nail polish, etc. and sealing it afterward ~ I put foam dots under the paper 'ribbon' with the sentiment on it for some dimension ~ the pink background was a scrap where I had brayered leftover pinks onto a scrap awhile ago, and I just ran it thru the Cuttlebug folder, then highlighted the numbers with white acrylic paint and the stylus sponge tip

If you're feeling like a stumped stamper I highly recommend checking out some sketch challenges, picking a layout you like, and going from there. It can take some of the what-do-I-do-first pressure off :o)

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!

2 Christmas cards

I'm quite a slow starter when it comes to Christmas cards - I think this is the first of them for this year!

I love the quarter-sheets at I Brake For Stamps because there are enough images and words that you can really mix them up for different looks, but you can literally dig in your couch, borrow a couple bucks from the cookie jar and pick one up - they are great stamping value! These two links will get you right to the pages so you don't have to search around:

Pinecone Heart: http://tinyurl.com/6ngkcw
Christmas Tree: http://tinyurl.com/6koedx

(click photos for more detail)

Card measures 4 1/2" x 6 3/4"

The main panel on this card uses the Ripped Marble technique from the Technique Junkies August 2005 newsletter. It's a super easy and effective technique for collage stamps especially, and the only hard part is making sure the three colors chosen go together. If you keep it monochromatic it's almost a sure thing ;o) I sponged the edges of the darker green with Distress Peeled Paint ink, and layered it onto black cs.

For the highlight on the calender page, I inked up just the 25, stamped it onto a cream cs scrap, then inked just the edges of the ball further below and using a stamp positioner, framed the 25 with it. I sponged on Peeled Paint around the edges and used a glue pen to tack it down as shown.

The background panel is just Water Color Distress from the TJ February 2007 newsletter, using the Peeled Paint ink.

*tip*

When doing the Water Color Distress technique, try different cardstocks, spray bottles and surfaces as they all add to the final look. The more tooth, and more absorbent your cs is the more definition you get in the ink spots. More water, a smooth mat surface and smoother semi-coated cs will yield a more solid watercolored look.

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

This second card features the Water Color Distress on the main panel, and I used Distress Peeled Paint and Tea Dye. Be sure your first color is dry before you redo the technique to add the second color as Distress inks can muddy if they are mixed when water is added.

To get more definition on the heart panel after I had stamped it on the Water Color Distress panel using Staz-On Timber Brown, I stamped the heart on a piece of copy paper, cut out the center, laid it over my main panel, and used a stencil brush to add Peeled Paint around the edges. Then I colored the pinecone and needles in with Stampin' Up! markers, adding white gel pen to highlight the cone and stem, and also the Peace oval.

For the layering I stamped the sentiment on wide twill, using Peeled Paint, and then cut the ends randomly and frayed them. On the brown panel, I pierced the edges and connected the dots for Faux Stitching using a white gel pen. I inked the smaller coordinating heart with Versamark and stamped all over the brown panel, and then added antiqued copper brads to three corners.

The olive panel is edged with Peeled Paint and a sponge, after being run thru the Cuttlebug using the Leafy Branch folder. I was going to highlight the embossing with ink but decided I liked the subtle effect better.

Seahorse Collage

I was pretty happy with how this turned out, and I must say it wouldn't have been possible without my Christmas-gift Cuttlebug - it's the gift that keeps on giving! (thanks again Dad ;o)

Also many thanks to Betsy at ISC for sending the foil sheets, which she carries (it's called Shimmer Sheetz), along with my last batch of stamps so I was able to try this technique so quickly. This was my "practice" card before I used the product with ISC stamps, but I liked it so much I had to share it here!! LOL

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

The main image panel was inked in various shades of pigment inks, direct to paper. The images (from Oxford Impressions, the By the Sea sheet) were stamped in black Staz-On over this. The ticket and hotel sign were stamped on a piece of white cs brushed with light green pigment ink. The shells were stamped in black ink on a piece of dark green cs.

The white swirls are on a background of heavy foil (which you can see as multicolored shimmer irl), and it is a technique from the current TechniqueJunkies newsletter. The dark green cardfront was embossed with the Cuttlebug Tiny Bubbles folder. The swirls are the Cuttlebug D'vine Swirl folder.

Thanks for looking!