Last of my holiday cards

It's time to move along with holiday activities. I had to stop participating in Tim's holiday tags and move on to completing my cards and begin the mailing process. I mailed over 30 cards in these last days as a start and now I am beginning to clean up my stamping supplies for the holiday decorating. Here are a couple cards I created with some of the leftover pieces and parts.

This first one I created for Simon Says Stamp and Share. I used inspiration from one of Tim's tags I didn't get to make. The background is embossed with an inked tree folder The cardinal is covered with red sparklyfluff and IRL life begs to be touched. The edge is accented with pleated red satin ribbon. The ATC stamp is from Unity.

I created this second card for a Fiskateer's challenge. It uses one of the ATC images I stamped with the ink pad I made for one of Tim's tags (Red Lead stamp). I used the Fiskar's crimper to add texture to the background strip which is a scrap inked with alcohol inked using a polish stone technique.

Happy Holidays blogger friends!

...Jan

Tim's Christmas tag #5

Today's inspiration comes from Tim's #5 tag.
Unfortunately my Santa is rather large making it difficult to add other large elements but I used several techniques and lots of different products. After stamping Santa I white ink to all the appropriate parts including under the hat fur when dry I added white sparkly fluff. Stickles covers the red part of the hat. I used watercolor pencils for the face and and a Spica gold pen to trim the eye glass rims and glossy accents for the lens. A white ribbon was added at the top of the tag and a metal snowflake charm (punch from a holiday Coke Can) and 3 jingle bells embellish the top of the charm. Fiskars postage stamp scissors adds to the look of the Dec 25 stamped image.

Inspiration fromTim's ChristmasTags-days 3 and 4

I do not have lots of the materials for day 3 and 4 so I jumped in and combined the inspiration from the tutorials. Sorry my camera is not seeing the bird with the strong metallic red as IRL. I attached a piece of Ranger's sheet adhesive to the back of the metal before using Tim's die for the bird. I had embossed some fun texture on it's body and accented with Ranger's white enamel. The base is also metal. Stamped snowflakes with Pearl dabber paint. No tissue paper tape here so the flower was made with alcohol ink on vellum. I heated the red ribbon to add some curl.

Tim's Christmas Tag-Day #2

This year I thought perhaps I would work on finishing making my Christmas cards and send them out instead of playing with Tim's tag. Well today is day 2 and I already have jumped in. I just couldn't help it. I had a blank sheet of inkpad felt sitting on my shelf for over a year just waiting to be inked (thanks Bonnie!).

So I grabbed my distress reinkers the blank felt and while I don't have Tim's stamps that he used today, I found one of his ATC collage stamp's of santa. Inking the details of the stamp was was a little difficult but once it was finished and I started stamping I found it much more successful than directly inking the stamp as I have done in the past. Wow, I quickly realized this is a much faster way to produce stamp multiple colored images.

My next ink pad is for another ATC chickadee collage stamp by Red Lead Paperworks that got me started on Tim's 2010 tags.

Special thanks to many other sites for are sponsoring related challenges: Simon Says Stamp and Show (terriffic weekly challenges), Ellen Hutson's CLASSroom features 12 days of Christmas tags with a feminine touch, Fiskateers (a great general crafting website that regularly offers challenges).

The Christmas Crafting Groove

I am busy getting into the groove for Christmas! My table is filled with Christmas supplies as I have been working on cards from Jennifer McGuire's Holiday Thinking Inking inspiration at 2 Peas. She posts a video weekly with 3 different projects. I have been trying to learn the techniques from each video. Here is a sampling of what I am creating...

Watercolor inking techniques-


Playing with distress ink-kissing stamps

Background-inking acrylic stamp block and misting-stamping on watercolor paper




Distress ink play with embossing powders-

Double resist background

Sticky back canvas

Alcohol ink ornament

Acetate cards-

Time for making Christmas presents

Yippy, I finally made a stamped candle!

For years I have seen this popular but stamped item but I have never tried. Well like everyone who has made them has said, "they are very easy!" Yes, this is my first candle-no draft versions in the trash. I reviewed Anne Gaal's photo tutorial and watched a U-tube video. Basically one stamps on tissue paper and colors as desired and may even emboss parts like I did with the snowflakes. Cut out the design lay it on the candle and wrap it with parchament paper. Heat with heat gun and magic it is complete. Oh, okay you can also embellish after finished too. Anne suggested inexpensive candles are best and that worked for me. Hope you too give one a try this season. If you have some time today both Anne at Gaal Creative and Tami over at the Fiskateer's blog are sponsonsoring challenges so you can enter a photo of your candle.

Happy Stamping!...Jan

Stamptoberfest and inky fun!

The last two weeks I have been busy playing the challenges at 2 peas's Stamptoberfests and at the same time getting a start on my seasonal cards. It is an annual event in which I host a challenge and I spend many hours getting my stamps inky. At the being of the event our weather turned abruptly to winter...a tad later than usual but nonetheless winter is here and my spirit quickly turns from fall card making to winter too. Let me show you a sampling of what I worked on:


This first card is an inspiration card for the challenge I hosted. Acetate Kissing is creating a polished stone background with alcohol inks. They stamping an image with alcohol inks and removing the ink quickly resulting in a clear image.




Another more tradition kissing challenge involved inking up a large foam stamp, stamping with an inked background stamp and putting it on paper. Here I edged the card with the new Fiskar's border punch.




Quirkiness card challenge: This card called for some serious fun! I added some dimension with the Fiskar's paper crimper as I did some paper piecing.

Jennifer McGuire began her Holiday Thinking Inking classes at 2 Peas during this same time.

Here I did some kissing and shading with distress inks.

Just do it...I tried a technique I had on my to do list for a very long time-watercolor pens on the back of cut n dry foam, misting and stamping.

Watercolor ATC

Burnished background-embossing a background image and adding multiple layers of ink tone on tone. Resist technique completed the main image.

A clean and simple look was created with a new stamp.

Stamping a background with a misting acrylic ink block- another Holiday Thinking Inking technique.

Another burnished background with a vintage look.

A Christmas hanger made with a center of a recylced soda can....alcohol ink base, crimped and embossed then image is added wit final detail of hanger and snow and sitting it in a mini real pile for the photo. Yes, it is winter here :-)

Recyled soda cans

Here I recycled a soda tin to create a seasonal fall tote

bag for this month's Hero Arts Challenge. Recycling and playing with metal is as much fun as playing with paper and so you may just want to give this a try yourself!

If you have never cut a soda can do know that the sides are very thin metal and can be cut with regular scissors. Cut the main center band of a soda can into the largest flat rectangle possible. Paint the plain side and stamp with background stamp. Fold with short cut edges at top, cut top with decorative scissors. Tape side edges together with red liner tape, fold over to back and crimp. Cut another can for additional metal to create main image. Stamp on plain side and cut out. Use a blunt instrument to outline image and flip to back to emboss. Wire tendrils are curled on a pencil. The pumpkin is colored with Sharpie pens. Punch holes and add ribbon.

This background is acrylic paint but alcohol inks or stazon ink can also be used. This metal also can be embossed with a cuttlebug.

Thanks for stopping by!

It is getting crispy here

It is in the 40's this morning...so I thought I would add a little brightness to my blog. Unfortunately blogger is not cooperating this morning and will not let me post more pictures. I will try again tonight.







This bright and bold flower comes from Hero Arts.

And the winner is

I had so many wonderful folks stop by my blog over the weekend! I only wish I could give out treats like at Trick or Treat but since that is not possible I had to draw for 1 RAK winner.

The winner of Fiskateer's blog hop is............

Peg left the comment saying......
Those are so pretty. Makes me even more excited for fall.
September 11, 2010 7:51 PM

If you get me your address I can mail out your RAK by the end of the week.
Thanks again for stopping in!

Fiskateers Orange Blog Hop Sept 10-11

Blog Hop Post-I hope you have just enjoyed Laura Bray’s blog. If you a looking for the beginning of this blog hop it starts at the Fiskar’s blog

Sharing the Passion of Crafting

Welcome to my home! Come on in and have a cup of your favorite warm drink while we chat about crafting.

For years I have enjoyed expressing my creativity by making stamped cards. I love getting inky and exploring all I can do with ink. I particularly enjoy making my own card backgrounds. For me it is a great stress reducer after a hard day at work.












Like many of my cards this one began as is a single piece of white cardstock. The clock is a Tim Holtz mask and is sprayed with a homemade perfect pearls mist. The rest of the images are stamped on to this background. The bird and word happiness comes from:



Fiskar's set
For the birds














Here the Canadian Geese are leaving in flocks of 100's each day to find warmer weather. The golden leaves on my birch trees are beginning to fall but I miss the red and orange colors of trees that grow further south so I make some of my own. Let me share with you the details of these cards-the background is blended spiced marmalade and wild honey distress inks by Ranger. This background and the center layer are both sprayed with sunflower perfect pearls mixed with spiced marmalade reinker mix and water in a homemade mister.




The tag is covered with Distress crackle paint-shabby shutters. When the crackle is completely dry I add a layer of blended spiced marmalade and wild honey to fill in the edges and highlight the cracks. I stamped the black image with archival ink.

I make the leaves in batches so I can incorporate them into cards throughout the fall season. I begin by making sheets of Polished Stone with alcohol inks on glossy paper. Then I stamp leaves on them with Stazon Ink. For added shine I fin them with a coat of glossy accents and while it is still wet I add a light sprinkling of fine glitter. That is really hard to see in photos but oh so fun in person. The tag string is colored with distress ink on the blender tool.


The above tags were designed to also meet this month's challenge requirements at my friend Anne's blog-Gaal Creative. She is currently featuring lots of information on alcohol inks and other Ranger Ink products.


Here is a variation on the leaf theme with many of the same tedhniques.

While my time is limited I still jump into a few other crafting delights including sewing, home dec, metal art and many other craft and gardening projects. Hope you stop by my blog at other times to see what project I am working on.

Your comments are most appreciated... a random drawing will be made for a RAK and the winner will be posted on Sunday, Sept 12. Thanks for sharing your passion for crafting by stopping in.

Please continue on to the next blog Patti Behan 3651

Soda can bag

Sometimes the inspiration for the creation of a project comes from many different directions. This week Sandi over at the Fiskateers blog presentated a tutorial focusing on using the main band of alumimum from a soda can to create a little tote bag. A related theme is a recent ATC metal swap I made for the Ten Seconds Yahoo Group. I combined this inspiration with a heavy dose of Tim Holtz's alcohol inks and dies. Here is what I came up with that is also entered into the Simon Says Stamp and Show new blogsite challenges--of course this one focus on inspiration from Tim.







Enjoy your inky moments!...Jan

Tags from Retake on Thinking Inking

At 2 peas in a bucket, we are now enjoying the
final weeks of the Retake on Thinking Inking
challenges and swaps. It has been so-o much fun to learn more techniques and uses for all these fun products.




Claudine Hellmuth Studio Semi-Gloss Paints on sticky back canvas as well as gold dimensional paint.









Playing with perfect pearls-stamping, making pearlized mists and spraying over masks, as well as splattering. Love the pearlized mists!

Distress Inks

Distress inks by Ranger are my #1 ink choice. I call them my go-to inks. I favorite tools include using my blending tool with distress inks on the craft sheet. Generally most of my coloring on cards is done with small pieces of Cut 'N Dry foam sponge. But my mister is always close by too so I can add perfect pearls for a soft bling. Mostly my cards are lots of layers of ink on white cardstock...and of course stamping.

During CHA the Fiskateers website hosted a weekend challenge event for those who were still at home. I really like working with the color orange so it was fun for me to jump into their theme color contests. Here's some cards I made for that event.



Pulled blender tool down top and bottom.




















Distress ink pads direct to the paper.












I used a Tim Holtz stencil for this clock and misted with a homemade pearl mist. Most of the stamps in this card series are from Fiskar's bird and flower acrylic sets.





A final card for the button challenge.














Over at my friend Anne's website, Gaal's Creative she has been posting many of her incredibly creative tags she is making throughout the Remake on Thinking Inking Challenges. Monthly she hosts a challenge and this month's topic is distress inks so I made a distress resist card for the challenge before the August 16 deadline.

Class-A'Peel

The Stampendous Challenge this week is to use Class-A'Peel stickers. Stampendous sells a wide variety of these stickers but I only had 1 option since I live in an isolated community with only 3 stores that sell some stamping items within a 400 mile radius. So I used what was on hand-a beautiful set of butterflies in flight. I tried the sticker background technique. Adhering one side of Therm O Web Peel N' Stick to cardstock and uncover the surface sticky side to attach the butterfly and glitter. I found this thin-line sticker difficult for me to adhere to the sticky surface. As I tried to lay out the butterfly flat in another area the other side would go limp. I am sure I held my breathe for several minutes while I was biting my tongue LOL!! After the butterfly was secure I poured glitter over the entire piece and gently pressed it onto the sticky surface to make sure all areas were filled with glitter. Unfortunately the solid coverage it not create a dramatic effect I had hoped for in my minds eye. So I turned to the site's video resource and realized I should have used the jumbo stickers as Fran used in the video...what a difference!

So I moved on trying my own creativity to improve the situation by adding some color to another butterfly sticker. I like the look much better but next time I will use glue in specific areas for the glitter without the sticky background OR I will use the background technique with jumbo stickers. I am sure the sticky background technique is very fast with spectacular results. I was pleased to find the glitter sticks very well to the sticky surface...just be sure to contain the glitter when moving it to the surface of your paper and returning excess to your jar. I have already requested our 3 store owners/manager order plenty of the poinsettia stickers for use for my Christmas cards. I am really happy to learn these about these techniques and products before the holiday crunch time! Thanks Stampendous for the inspiration!