Hummingbirds...and away we fly on a creative adventure!

As I tentatively embrace spring (which, in Chicagoland, has been mostly non-existent so far), I'm reminded that summer cannot be far off.  And the arrival of summer also includes the Impression Obsession SUMMER stamp release! Yay!  I have some SUPER fun new stamps and stamp sets launching with this release.......

So, in celebration of SPRING (hopefully...finally...we need spring...), I'll start this new blog series with my brand new Hummingbird stamp set!

This is SUCH a fun set, I couldn't wait to start playing with it...

But first I had to narrow down exactly what I wanted to make.  And, if you know me at all, you know I usually don't just do traditional.  Nope.  I usually try to find new ways to use materials or change up techniques so they have a new "spin".  So, yep...you guessed it!  I went renegade before I even opened the Hummingbird set packaging.  LOL!And away I flew on another creative adventure!

When I went to grab my Strathmore Bamboo notecards, I accidentally grabbed a stack of the coordinating envelopes instead. That's when the light bulb went on and I decided to try making a card out of.....an envelope.

Here's how:

After carefully opening up the envelope and trimming off edges with remnants of adhesive, I opening it up flat on my stamping table.  Then I stamped the hummingbird and lily cluster on the left panel, using Clearsnap Wicked Black Archival ink, as shown:

I continued stamping lily clusters and other floral elements from the set as shown:

Next I stamped another one of my new phrase stamps (Bird Sings)...inside the center panel of the card...

Next step was to color the images using a combination of Derwent watercolor pencils and markers. 

I loved the way the colors harmonized so well but...it just needed a finishing touch.  I wanted to keep it simple so I added a simple gold trim on the underside of the left panel and a simple pink cord along the edge on top .  Beacon's Fabri-tac Adhesive made it super easy!

This Hummingbird set can be used in SO many different ways...this is just one of them. 

Here is the finished project!!!

Boo Witch for Halloween

And now it is almost time for that magical day when kids (and adults who still think like kids) are transformed into all KINDS of costumed characters, celebrities, animals, creatures and clever concepts.

I hope your Halloween is a safe and happy one -- filled with lots of treats, decent trick n treat weather ....and one in which memories are made to last a lifetime.  

In my final Halloween card for the season, I thought I would incorporate some easy, fun techniques that give added texture and sparkle...plus the illusion of movement. 

Here's what you will need:

Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps 

http://iostamps.com

D7981 Little Witch

H7759 Spooky Trees

Clearsnap

Colorbox®️ Archival Dye ink pad: Wicked Black

Top Boss®️ Embossing Stamp pad

Colorbox®️ Embossing Powder (Gold)

Beacon Adhesives

Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue

Premium Tacky Glue

Heat Tool

Frame Die of your choice

Wood or chipboard letters painted black

Here's how to make it:

1. Cut out a frame from black cardstock and an oval from orange cardstock.

2. Stamp Little Witch on orange oval.  Before lifting stamp, carefully rotate it to the left and then to the right. Lift and remove stamp.

3. Stamp top portions of the Spooky Trees on the letters using the Embossing stamp pad.  Heat emboss with gold powder.  

4. Attach all layers as shown using Zip Dry Paper Glue.  Attach the letters with Premium Tacky Glue; dry.

If you enjoyed all these fun Halloween projects this month, please leave me a comment!  And if you have any special technique or project requests, just let me know!

Witch Pumpkin?

How could it ever be fall without....pumpkins?!  Not only are these plump orange veggies an important ingredient for pies and other harvest recipes, pumpkins are just such an important symbol in the whole Halloween experience.  In fact, I'm not sure which experience is my favorite. 

And...which one is your favorite? Is it the quest to pick out the perfect pumpkin, the act of pumpkin carving, or the actual night of trick n treating (shoulder to shoulder with little ghosts, goblins and princesses)...and being "wowed" by all the cool jack o lanterns everywhere?!  It is SO hard to choose so I guess I just have to pick them all!  LOL!

So I decided to combine one of the brand new stamp images I drew for Impression Obsession with one of my fun Cover-A-Card background stamps to create a card that captures everything.  Memories of pumpkins in the farm fields, carving those funny faces and then seeing all those porches and glowing windows filled with happy face pumpkins. 

Can you smell that faint whiff of autumn in the air.....and pies baking? Mmmmmm....

Here's what you need:

Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps 

http://iostamps.com

E7978 Happy Pumpkins

CC263 Spider in Web

Clearsnap

Colorbox®️ Archival Dye ink pad: Wicked Black

Derwent: 
Academy Watercolor Pencils and Water Soluble Markers

Beacon Adhesives

Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue

Corner punch of your choice

Here's what to do:

1. Stamp Happy Pumpkins on light orange card stock. Color with pencils and markers, using a waterbrush or paintbrush to blend colors and add a shadow under the pumpkins. 

2. Stamp Spider in Web on purple notecard.

3. Punch corners of orange layer.  Attach all layers to notecard with Zip Dry Paper Glue. 

Creative Option:  No need to stop here with a notecard!  You can also create this basic design and use to decorate home decor items such as a box, wood plaque, framed print or trick n treat bag! 

Boo to you! Halloween is coming.....

As we slide further from sweet summertime, there is a definite chill in the air here in the Midwest. I can't help but think about how much this time of year always triggers memories of my children's Halloween fun, as well as that of my own childhood.  

Anticipation of that magical day (and sometimes entire weekend) is still contagious.  In fact, like many parents in our friendly neighborhood, I usually also get into the spirit of fun by wearing wigs or funny hats, along with orange and black clothing to greet all the trick-n-treaters that appear at my door.  On those Halloween days when the weather is drop dead gorgeous, I'll also spend hours outside greeting everyone...and just enjoying all that fun going on around me!  

But now is the time to get ready.  It's time to get that pumpkin, decorate the house....and create some cards for neighbors and friends.

For this project, I have used two of my new stamp images from Impression Obsession to create a card that will appeal to all ages--including all those "special" little pumpkins! 

Here is what you will need:

Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps: 

D7891 Little Witch

C7979 Scary Pumpkin 1

C7980 Scary Pumpkin 2

Clearsnap:

Colorbox®️ Premium Dye ink pads: Banana, Tangerine, Licorice

Colorbox®️Mix’d Media Inx™ ink pad: Jasmine

Art Dauber

Beacon Adhesives

Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue

Sizzix/Ellison:

Swirls Embossing folder

Here's what to do:

1. Apply both Banana and Tangerine ink to each of the pumpkins. Stamp along the bottom edge of a white cardstock scrap; dry.  

2. Stamp the witch in Licorice, overlapping slightly over the pumpkin(s). Cut angled corners.  3. Dab Licorice around all the edges of both the stamped layer and a purple notecard; dry.

4. Pressure emboss a black cardstock scrap. Lightly dab Jasmine pigment ink over the raised sections; dry. 

5. Attach all the layers to the card using Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue.

I just LOVE it when I can use up scraps from my stash!

Mastering the Art of the Silhouette Stamp

Mastering the Art of the Silhouette Stamp

I LOVE the ease and simplicity of combining colorful backgrounds with silhouette stamps! There are SO many cool, inky techniques that can be used to create backgrounds.  And those backgrounds can really "pop" with a simple solid silhouette image (or images) stamped over them.

And then the mad stamping scientist in me wondered: "What would happen if the silhouette stamp image was also approached as we do the background?  What if I turn that solid silhouette into a colorful image with defined sections using both color and dimension?"

And just like that....a fun inky embossing technique was born!

As you can see, the stamp I used was a nicely detailed solid silhouette which makes a great statement when stamped in black ink over a multitude of backgrounds.  (This stamp is from an image I drew for Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps.)  However, adding color to the actual image, along with heat embossed dimension changes not only the entire look, but also the process.  Instead of overstamping the silhouette image onto a colorful background that has already been created, the background is actually created last with this technique.  

Here is how....

Lion Stroll Card

Supplies:

Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps: 

     J7950 Lions

     CC234 Bark

Clearsnap:

    Colorbox®️ Petal Point Classic Pigment Inkpad (Arboretum, Envy)

    Colorbox®️ Embossing Powder (Clear)

    Top Boss®️ Embossing Stamp pad

    Colorbox®️ Premium Dye ink pads: Banana, Tangerine, Guava, Grape, Blueberry

    Colorbox®️ Archival Dye ink pads: Mudslide, Seattle Sky

    Art Daubers

Beacon Adhesives:

    Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue

    Premium Tacky Glue

Heat tool

White, tan, black and decorative cardstock.

Yarn or ribbon trim

Instructions:

1. Place Lion stamp rubber side up. Remove desired color sections from the Petal Point inkpads. Using the tip of each section, apply ink directly to the Lions stamp, blending as desired.
2. Stamp the lions onto 4" x 6" white cardstock. Pour clear embossing powder over the image; tap off excess.  Heat until melted. 
3. Beginning in the center with Banana, use Art Daubers to apply Premium Dye ink. Use the remaining colors in the order in which they are listed to create a sunrise sky. Since the lions were heat embossed, that clear embossed layer acts as a resist mask so the dye ink only sticks to the area around the lion image.  
4. Apply Seattle Sky and Mudslide on the Bark stamp; stamp image onto a 5" x 7" tan notecard. 
5. Trim remaining cardstock; attach all the layers to card using Zip Dry®️ Paper Glue.

And then there was the surprise "Bonus" card.  

Since pigment ink remained on the Lion stamp after the initial stamping step, I wanted to first "stamp off" the ink before using my ink cleaner pad. Then I decided to experiment.  Instead of just using scrap paper, I decided to "stamp off" the image onto a piece of coated white cardstock.  While the resulting image is not the densely colored, crisp image we saw in the first card, the "stamp off" image had instead a softer, more ethereal look with an interesting painterly quality.  I then paired this stamped image with a soft background cardstock and wheat yarn trim (attached around the image using Premium Tacky Glue).  I love surprise inky techniques and am SO very pleased with this second "bonus" card!   

What do you think about these two fun looks using Silhouette stamps???!!!

Be Crabby Card

Who says Mixed Media has to be filled with lots of bits and pieces covering everything?  Just like most people with a fondness for IKEA's modern, clean lines,  I tend to be a bit of a Mixed Media crafting minimalist.  I love the simplicity and balance of threes...and the use of just a few items to create a powerful statement. I also LOVE finding creative uses for repurposing items most people just toss into the trash.

Here is a really cool card I made using a moveable crab die cut from Eye Connect Crafts! This card was recently published in Just Mixed Media 2017 (Scott Publications).  Note how I used a scrap of netting from a grocery store pack of oranges to add color and dimension to this fun scene!

The crab die cut comes already pre-cut and ready to decorate and assemble.  I used a simple 'direct-to-paper" (DTP) inky approach with Art Daubers and Clearsnap Colorbox® Classic Pigment ink to initially coat the pieces.  After drying with a heat tool, I applied Colorbox Archival Dye ink DTP using the ink pad as a stamp and positioning the pad so the corner created a triangular imprint on the body and the claws.TheArt Dauber was used again to add a bit of shading to the legs and around the body. After the ink was dry, the body was assembled by inserting mini colored brads through the pre-punched holes.  After dabbing Wicked Black around the card edges, a piece of netting was carefully arranged along the bottom and side and glued on to the card with 3-in-1 Advanced Craft Glue (Beacon Adhesives). The crab was positioned in place and glued over the netting and onto the card, as well.

And there you have it!  An adorable card that will make even the crabbiest person smile!

As always, please leave a comment!  I'd LOVE to know if you enjoyed this project!

And here is the article on Monotones!

Aren't I being good?!  Another article....this time in the December 2016 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine.....

This article was a challenging one since I limited myself to ONLY using black, white and gray.  At the same time, it was also very rewarding because I love limits.

A peek at some of the projects in the article!

While exploring the possibilities I discovered how much fun it was to use inky techniques with embossing folders.  (Embossing folders used are from Sizzix/Ellison.....)