If At First You Don't Succeed

Let be the first one to say I am not an artist.  This is why I buy stamp sets and use my die cut machine.  I wanted a specific look for a birthday card I was making today to use with the Always Playing With Paper blog challenge.  



 After looking at all my stamps and not finding exactly what I wanted I headed to my computer and Cricut machine.  Not there either.  "How hard can it be to draw a birthday cake" I'm thinking to myself?

Hard! At least for those of us who are perspective challenged.   Round two of looking through my stamp sets and I found one that was almost what I was thinking so I sat down and started creating. 

I started with this stamp set from Stampin Up.  I'm not sure if it's still available, but it had the layer cake i was going for. I used my Mother's Day gift, a MISTI, and a piece of acetate to carefully position each stamp right on my card base.  Brave? Crazy is probably a better word.  I also made a mask with masking paper for each piece.

After, the cake was stamped, I covered it with the masks and got just a little crazier and added some background with another Stampin Up set, Gorgus Grunge.

Masking is one of those magic techniques.  It seems contrary to stamp the top image first and then stamp over it, but that is exactly how it works.  

The end result was a great masculine birthday card.

  

Is It Summer Yet?

Today the sun is shining. And while it might be short lived, I thought I would celebrate it today.  The Simon Says Stamp blog has a couple of regular challenges and the Work It Wednesday challenge goes right with that celebration.

 The theme is sunshine, and while I don't love the heat, (blame that on living in Southern Nevada as a kid) we've had a record number of rainy days in a row.  And while it isn't supposed to last, I'm going to pretend I don't know that and craft on.

When I saw the theme, I first thought of ink blending and my Time Holtz Rays stencil. 

So I went looking through my ever growing stash of stamps and found this cutie CCDesigns stamp.

I stamped the image and a mask and the put a layer of yellow ink down 2/3 of the card front.  I taped the stencil in place and added layers of ink in varing shades of yellows and a light orange.  I added some greenish blue to the bottom and then decided to pull out my prisma colored pencils.

I did't think to write down the colors I used, I just dumped out my (small) collection and picked up what I thought would work.  In the end I had a really cute card.  I added a sentiment from Simon Says Stamp's Color and Sunshine stamp set.

I left the sentiment pretty universal so I can use it for anything.

And there she is.  Isn't she the cutest little stamp!  

Using Old Favorites

When I need a card and I'm stuck for ideas, I spend some time with one of my best friends, Pinterest. :D  If there isn't anything specific I'm looking for I find myself drawn to ideas of what to do with some of my long lost (and my lost I mean sitting on my stamp shelf).  

I need  couple of masculine birthday cards this week and I find them the hardest to just create.  I think I over think it trying not to ling it up too much. Because the new Stampin' Up catalog comes out next month, there are a lot of photos using stamp sets that I own from my days as a demonstrator.  I guess a few of my old favorites are retiring, including the Open Sea stamp set that includes these images.

I decided to make it the tool of one card this week for a friend who recently retired after 20 plus years in the US Navy.  I used a light taupe card stock for the card base and stamped all the images except the ledger and the ship with the same color ink, stamping off first so they just blended into the background.  

I found some old pattern paper that looked like a ledger and cut a strip that is 4 3/4 inches by just under 2 3/4 inches and layered it on a piece of  brown card stock.  This is when I decided to tear off one edge and ink the edges to give it a worn look.  I also added some natural twine around the middle for more texture.  

I stamped the ship in the same taupe ink on the taupe card stock and die cut it with a circle die. I layered it on to a larger circle cut from the dark brown.  I added some small brads around the outer circle to look like rivets on a porthole.  I inked the edges of the circles as well.  I added a small Happy Birthday layered on both card stocks to the porthole. I forgot to take a photo of that but I cropped one heheh.

Now the assembly.  I might have gotten a bit distracted with all the layers and wasn't sure it was going to all fit.  oops. But in the end, it works and looks as good as I was hoping.

Thanks for looking :)

An Old Technique Brought Back Big

When I first started stamping the only stamps I really owned were Stampin Up! because I became a hobby demonstrator to get that discount.  Clear stamps were around at craft stores mostly and not rally great because they were mostly acrylic and the ink would pool up on the stamp.  The best stamping way to get a dimensional image was to use a stamp positioner (like the stamp a ma jig) and a two or three step stamp.  I loved the idea, but I did't but many of them because I could never seem to get them lined up just right.  

Fast forward a few years, add a few new stamp companies and the photo-polymer stamp. Yeah!  Now we can get that layered, dimensional look a little easier.  One of the stamp sets that I have fallen in love with for this is the Peony Bouquet by Altenew.

As you can see I have already loved this stamp up and it's awesome.  There are a number of layers to create as detailed a flower as you want.  Check out the Altenew blog for a diagram on how to line up the stamps.

I forgot to take a photo of the steps but here is a close up of one of the peonies I stamped.

 Isn't that lushes! Even though I did't quite line them up exactly, they look marvelous!  So any way, I stamped three outlines and added all the layers in yellows, pinks and oranges.  Of course because I'm that kind of crafter (the one who needs to have to all) I bought the matching dies. Hehe.

I used the die to cut a mask for the flowers so I could add a layer of leaves around the peonies.  I also left the center of the card mat open so that I could add a sentiment.  

Another great thing about clear stamps is that I could pull out my sentiment sets and hold them over the blank space and see which one fits best.  For this card I pulled out the Simon Says Stamp Big Scripty Greetings.

I chose the birthday stamp for this card.  

Once I had it all stamped out I layered it on a black mat with a very small layer because I didn't want to cut the flowers down too much.  Then I added the mats to a yellow card base, because yellow is happy like these awesome flowers.

I really liked how this turned out in the end.  It was not a quick card, but now that I have used the stamp set I think it will be quicker next time.

Have a crafty day!

Better Late Than Never

In February I participated in the 30 Day Color Challenge hosted by Kathy at the Daily Marker .  One of the images I colored was one of the first stamps i every bought; Simply Soft from Stampin' Up!

It's meant to be a two step stamp but I wanted to try something new, to me.  I've seen a lot of water coloring of gold or silver embossed images.
And I had just recently gotten my Zig Real Brush Water Color Pens.

The reviews of these makers were mixed at first so I wasn't first on the band wagon, however, once I heard that they colored best on a specific paper I was in.  I love my Copic markers, but sometimes I want something different to color with.  So based multiple recommendations, I bought them and a pad of  Strathmore Bristol Smooth  Paper.

Long story long, I stamped one of the flowers from the set onto the smooth paper with Versa-mark ink and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder.  (I think mine is from Stampin' Up!)  Then I went to work coloring with my new markers.  Here is how they turned out.

It turned out so well that I made it in to a card.  Since Ester was coming up I decided to make it an Easter card.  I pulled some pattern paper from my stash that had the same colors as the flowers.  I didn't think that far ahead, so good thing I have an abundant paper stash. I wanted some more gold on the card to pull the embossing out.  I added some Versa-mark ink to the edges of the flower panel and the edges of the sentiment panel as well.

I added it all to a green  card stock scraps and a green card base.  It's one of the happiest cards I've made in a while.  I really loves how it turned out.

Cards for Sale

Hello crafty friends.  I have uploaded a few cards I made for Mother's Day, Father's Day and Graduation that are for sale.  If you need some custom cards, just contact me at designswithpaper@gmail.com. I'd love to create a one of a kind card for your loved ones.

WPlus9 and My Creative Spree

One of the tools that I've added to my belt this past year is Derwent Ink Tense pencils.

  

They aren't traditional colored pencils.  The "led" is actually ink.  You add the medium to your image and add water to spread the ink around.  It's like magic.  You get vibrant color that is water proof after it's dry.  The only thing, is you have to make sure you get all the pigment wet and spread out, or it will reactivate with any wet medium.  

I have been practicing and when I saw the Color My World stamp set from WPlus9 I knew it was just the right stamp set to try it out on.   

This set has some very cute hand drawn art supply images that are a hoot to color.  And the sentiments are so cool.  I stamped the ones I wanted to use in Archival ink so I could use water without smearing the image. 

I used masking paper to mask off the images and make a one layer card front.  It's important to use water color paper when you're using ink tense pencils.  Regular card stock will pill up and you'll be very sad.

 I used a water brush to move the pigment around with.  I find it easier than having a pot of water on my desk.  I spill things.  I do keep a paper towel handy to wipe off the extra water and color.

 

I used a fancy corner chomper from We R Memory Keepers to dress up the corners and added the panel to a card base.

My Grandpa Is 90!

My Grandpa is 90! He has always been one men I look to for an example of hard work and the cowboy way.  Until the last couple years he regularly still went out to check on the cattle and animals and still groomed his own dog.

I couldn't travel to his birthday celebration, because I live on the other side of the country with my children. :(That doesn't mean I didn't send him birthday wishes.  

It is no secret to my friends and family that I have a sarcastic streak.  Because of that, I have fallen in stamp love with Art Impressions Stamps. They are so sassy.  I found a couple stamp sets recently and used one of them for Grandpa's card.  

I used the couple in the plane and stamped it in memento tuxedo black and pulled out my Prisma Color Pencils again. I cannot say enough about how well these pencils color.  They really blend well, especially if you add one layer on top of another.

I really took my time and added one layer after another to get the blending I wanted.  I made a stamped panel with red card stock and the cloud stamp from the set. Then layered each card panel with a black mat.

And here's the finished card.

Now all I need is a cowboy Art Impressions stamp, hint hint!

Can't Go Wrong With Dinosaurs

There are a few things about the little boys in my family that you can count on, one of them is that they all are a bit crazy! Another is that they like dinosaurs, some more than others for sure, but dinosaurs are a hit.  One of my favorite dinosaur stamp set is the Lawn Fawn Critters from the Past set.

I used this awesome stamp set to make a birthday card for my nephew.  I started by stamping the images on craft paper.  I wanted to color with Prisma Color Pencils on craft for a change and for the practice. 

These pencils really are awesome.  They are smooth and color like butter, and give bright color, even on craft paper.

I used some masking paper to create a one layer card.  After it was all colored, I went back over the stamp lines with a Pitt Artist Pen to bring back the outline. 

Then came time to finish the card. Add a few details with a white gel pen and round the corners and it's finished.

Happy Birthday Buddy!