Welcome to: A Few Loose Threads Tutorial and Challenge

Everyone is welcome to play this challenge!

If you haven't already heard Feb 2-9 the folks at 2 Peas are enjoying winter with week long rubber stamp challenge activities. This is one of many. If you want to know about the others checkout the 2 Peas message board.

On some days do you feel a little loose and fun spirited? Well that’s exactly how I hope you are feeling as you enjoy playing in WinterStamp08! In this challenge we are going to loosen a few more threads to create our own printed paper with the look of textured cloth.

Supplies needed:white and glossy cardstock –they will create different results
soft brayer
dye ink—can be multi-color pads
cheesecloth (can be found in grocery or fabric stores generally precut and packaged)
recycled card board and masking tape

Tip-you can always click on a blog photo if you want to see a larger view.
Cut a used cardboard to approx 7x7 size. Cut cheesecloth to about the same size. Now is the time to turn up the music. Take the cheesecloth and remove a few of the loose threads-possibly in both directions. When you have the cloth as you desire, lay it on the cardboard. Tape three sides allowing one open side to slip in your cardstock. Brayer with dye ink in one direction changing colors if desired.





Turn 90 degrees and add more ink as you please. Results are always a surprise. Use in making a card.





Posting results— I would love to see a photo of the backgrounds you create but do know it takes the use of your loose thread paper on a card to be eligible for the random drawing for the stamp set. Please post a link on the 2 Peas message board thread-to your gallery post. Plan B-if the 2 peas gallery crashes from our extensive use, you can post a link here in the coments to the location of your posted picture.





Prize-A random participant playing this challenge will be selected to recieve an acrylic sassafras stamp set. This is a border set designed so you can first stamp with the flat back side of the stamp to create a shadow effect before stamping the actual detailed image. I know you will love it.
Hope you enjoy this opportunity to play a little more with your inks!...Jan

New On-line classes

My Creative Classroom is a new on-line classroom for creative folks. MCC will be offering classes on a broad range of topics. I have no affliation with this group accept for the shared enthusiasum to learn and interest in how it will all work. This is their Open House Week so I have been popping in to check out their free classes, talk to folks and sign up for some prizes. You just don't know who you will run into on the internet. Julie Ebersole, the Design Team coordinator for splitcoaststampers and I found ourselfs as the only 2 in the chat room last evening so we had a delightful 1/2hour conversation.

I played the card sketch challenge at MCC by Card Maps and submitted this card. The top of the card is dry embossed. I ran a piece of a soda can thur my cuttlebug and colored it with sharpie markers. I placed on top a brayer background and used the new Hero Arts "spring". It fits in a long business envelope.

Fun time for challenges!

The Monday sketch challenges by the folks at ISMAKI are so much fun and are wonderful layouts. I also checked out today’s technique challenge at Splitcoaststampers and they were making terrific dahlia folded medallions. So my card ended up with a blending of both with my flower becoming a variation on the medallions. Here is a link to the instructions for the medallion. The spotted metal was run through the cuttlebug and the main background is one I made and added a SU stamped flourish.

Think Spring!....Jan

Creative thoughts

Ah-h today I thoroughly enjoyed making a set of these tags for a swap...a sampler adapting Tim Holtz's techniques from the tutorial for the 6th day of Christmas. Unfortunately I still haven't been able to purchase grungeboard but the basics of masking and using pearlized-distress mist were lots of fun.

Today I also went to see a good movie-Bucket List. As I worked on this project the movie brought back thoughts of "what do I want to do with my creativity this year". I am still pondering but if you want to read some thoughts on the topic I recommend the "dear Jane" an article in the Jan/Feb (current issue) of Cloth, Paper, Scissors page 96-98, as well as the thoughts for collage icons for the year-page 12. Hmmm perhaps it is time to create an Art journal.

Hope you are enjoy your creative time today!...Jan

Chillin in Alaska

Yes it is Monday... so it is ISMAKI Challenge day! Three Magnolia design team members have joined together to coordinating a fanstastic sketch challenge site. I appreciate them being kind enough to allow those of us without Magnolia stamps to play along.

It was 43 F degrees below zero in Fairbanks today (-45 C) It feels like a cold winter card is very appropriate. I mixed some distress ink accents with a watercolor background and a center masked snowflake. Thanks for the challenge, thanks for stopping by and yes my friend who still hasn't gotten her Christmas thank you also appreciates it!

The Winter bird sings!

Indeed having a wonderful sketch challenge is something to sing about in the winter!
The ISMAKI Challenge will be posted every Monday and this is the very first one. So if you are interested just click on the link.

The sketch called for a rectangle for the focal image but I just couldn't get the bird to feel balance in it. I hope to try another image later in the week. There is also a 2nd lovely optional sketch posted with the challenge. For my card I used stamps by Stamper's Anonymous and Blockhead Arts. I used homemade pearl mist, pearl acrylic dabber, and distress inks. Thanks for looking!...Jan

Happy Birthday Mom!

This is the card I made for my Mom's birthday card. I hope she enjoys it during the next few weeks. She was a lovely quilter in her younger days and enjoyed hand quilting her pieces. This Ipattern reminds me of a quilt she made for me in the 60's. My quilt is very bright yellow, orange and white. I hope she enjoys the card!...I enjoy my quilt!

Afraid this didn't take nearly the time of her quilting but it is still filled with love. This is how I made it-- I started with 16- 1" squares of red and 8-1" square of white stamped cardstock. I cut the white squares diagonally and glued on top of the red squares. I then cut 4 pieces of 2x2 thin cardstock. Look at the block and visually cut it into 1/2 horizonally and vertically result in 4 equal sized 2x2 blocks. Focusing on one 2x2 and I made all 4 the same pattern gluing the 4-1"blocks on the 2x2. Rotate each 2x2 a 1/4 turn more than the previous. All four pieces are the same layout just turned one position. Then place the 4 pieces on a 4 1/4 piece of white cardstock. I put the red mat through the cuttlebug twice to make a swirl backaground. My final card is 5 1/2"square. It is actually a fairly simple card which comes together easily once you get a feel for the layout. Happy stamping!

Reflections on 2007

As the memories of Christmas 2007 are being packed away it is a time of bittersweet reflection. Today I am taking down the collection of wonderful Christmas cards from so many crafters. I certainly hope I said a special thank you to each and every one of you who sent special wishes. Indeed they added a lot of joy to my holiday! But for now I wanted to share a few "ah-huh" highlights from my creative times in 2007.

1. Best Project of the Year-Ink sampler notebook...I love using inks and have LOTS...but wanted to think broader to be able to mix different types of ink as well as color combinations for single projects. I started last year by making this notebook with samples of all my inks. It has proven to be a useful tool for me to see new possibilities. It also helps me make faster and better buying decisions.

2. Best Purchase of the Year-Ribbon storage...YES, I do love ribbon and I finally came upon a way of storing it that works for me. I found these great over-the-door towel racks. I have 2 on craft room doors. Each holds approx 25 narrow spools per rod. It even takes the extra large SU spools that are 4 1/2"diameter. Best part is it was just over $7 on sale at Freddies (a west coast super chainstore). The only assembly required is 4 screws to attach the brace at the top and end caps on the rods so they don't slip out of place. It is made by Zenith and is a part of the "Bathstyles" organizer collection.

3. Best Times of the Year- Times with other stampers. Fun creative moments have been shared with the Stamp Shack’s Creative Team, special stamping events at 2 Peas, Splitcoaststamper challenges, Saturday challenges and Tim Holtz’s 12 days of Christmas tags. And of course staying in touch with individual old friends and new...some of which happened through the starting of this blog in 2007.

Indeed it was a very good year! Thanks for being a part of it and stopping by!

Happy New Year!

Bring on 2008 with special greetings to all of my stamping pals for the very best in the New Year! I created this black and blue challenge card on New Year's Eve with you in mind.

One of my resolutions for 2008 is to enjoy using some of my hoarded stash. This beautiful black washi paper is a great example--oh how I love speciality papers! The image is created with Heidi Swapp stencil and a stamp from Tim Holtz collection by Stamper's Anonymous. They arrived in December so I am glad to finally play with them. I used distress inks and homemade glimmer spray for the image. On the order of Tim's #6 tag but I have was doing it before his great tutorials...so you may get even better results if you follow his instructions.

Thanks for stopping by and a very Happy New Year!