Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Flock o' 'Flies


Scraps of patterned paper don't always have to be cut into squares or strips. Here I used leftovers of coordinating patterned papers for butterflies. A simple card with a variety of patterns and shape sizes. The pearls were coloured with a Copic marker to get the colour of choice.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Stampin' Up
Papers: pink cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (Basic Grey Sultry)
Ink: Staz On Timber
Accessories: Spellbinder butterflies, pearls (Kaiser), Copic Dark Pink

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Mending Fences


The panels in this card reminded me of the panels of a fence. Inking the edges made each one more distinct and gave each one its own unique character, just like the boards in a fence. The card's decorative edge was achieved by punching four 1" circles and adhering them under the strip of pink cardstock. No scissors required!

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Gina K.
Papers: off white cardstock (Bazzill Walnut Cream)pink cardstock (Bazzill), script patterned (7 Gypsies), floral patterned (K & Co.)
Inks: Distress Tea Dye, Staz On Timber
Accessories: circle punch (Creative Memories), ribbon (Fabricland)

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Hit the Wall


A climbing vine was the inspiration for the fibre embellishment on this card. That's why I chose the stone wall embossing folder to use on the vertical piece of cardstock beneath it. Coloured the paper flower with Glimmer Mist. Just thought this card sketch was very unique and had to try it.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: off white cardstock (stash), patterned (Basic Grey Two Scoops), green cardstock (Bazzill Guacamole)
Ink: Distress Bundled Sage
Accessories: letter stickers (Sticker Studio), fibres (stash), paper flower (Kaiser), brad (Basic Grey Two Scoops), Glimmer Mist Juniper, Sizzix Bricked embossing folder

Monday, June 27, 2011

Tiles Part 2


Though patterned paper scraps are the base of this card type, note that squares of "solid" paper are also used in the design. These are also included in many 6 X 6 patterned paper pads.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Verve
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (Basic Grey Eva)
Inks: Versafine Black, Distrss Spun Sugar
Accessories: Creative Memories Square Punch

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Terrific Tiles


Almost no scrap of patterned paper is too small to use on a card. Coordinating papers that come in 6 X 6 paper pads are ideal since their patterns are shrunk from their original 12 X 12 size. Using Distress Ink on the edges of each square softens the edges.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Verve
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (Basic Grey Eva)
Inks: Distress Spun Sugar, Verafine Black
Accessories: CM Square Punch

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Button Up


I've used buttons on cards as floral centres and borders. Here is an even more creative way to use them on a card.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: PTI
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (SEI Jolie Chocolat)
Ink: Versafine Black
Accessories: Spellbinder Labels 1, Distress Ink Fired Brick, paper flower (Prima), buttons (stash), ribbon (stash)

Friday, June 24, 2011

Back to Backgrounds


It's always a good idea to go through your stamps and try to use something in a new way. Here I used an old background stamp for my card front. Rather than stamp and cut it out to fit the front of my card, I stamped it directly on the face of the card and created a "soft border" by going around the edges of the card with the same Distress Mustard Ink. I plan to use this method with many of the other background stamps I have been neglecting.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: background (CTMH?), sentiment (PTI), image (PTI)
Paper: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific)
Inks: Distress Mustard, Versafine Black
Accessories: ribbon (Michaels), Sizzix Tag Die

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Tinting Paper Flowers


Though my intention was to use Glimmer Mist to colour my white paper flowers, I thought I'd try to ink only the edges of the flower. I picked up ink off of my Distress Ink pad with a small paint brush and swept it across the petals until I got the coverage I wanted. I highlighted the panels of patterned paper with white ink and paper piercing to create texture and dimension.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: PTI
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (Basic Grey Two Scoops)
Inks: Colorbox White, Versafine Black
Accessories: border punch (EK Success), paper flower (Kaiser), brad (Basic Grey Two Scoops), ribbon (Fabricland), paper tag (stash)

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Chairs?


One of the currently popular icons is chairs. It's amazing the creative ways that artists have incorporated the images into their cards. Though I would have preferred to use green flocking to emulate velvet upholstery, I didn't have any; I was satisfied with the results I achieved with Flower Soft. I love how the Labels 18 die cut shape frames the chair. Don't forget that Distress Inks aren't just for blending; they can be used to stamp images too. The colour is just more concentrated.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: CTMH
Papers: cardstocks (Bazzill), patterned (K & Co.)
Ink: Distress Ink Crushed Olive
Accessories: velvet ribbon (stash), Flower Soft, Spellbinder Labels 18 & Nested Frame Dies

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Back to the Bird Cage


I just love this Tim Holtz Caged Bird die and thought it would work well with this patterned paper. I die cut it out of cardstock rather than chipboard. The thinness allowed me to adhere the cage to the card face with adhesive foam, giving me space for the bird, without creating too much weight for the lighter card base.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: pink cardstock (stash), patterned (K & Co.)
Ink: Colorbox
Accessories: Sizzix Die, tag (stash), ribbon (AMM), brads (stash), rhinestone (Kaiser), tag (stash)

Monday, June 20, 2011

Flock a Flower Centre


To recreate the "fuzzy" centre of a real daisy, I found a dimensional glue dot and Flower Soft to work perfectly. I chose not to stamp my sentiment on solid cardstock because I thought it may cover too much of the patterned paper. I was pleased with the results of stamping my sentiment directly on the patterned paper. The right choice of font will allow the sentiment to stand out. Glimmer Mist allowed me to colour the white paper flower and seam binding to match my cardstock. I plan to purchase white flowers in various shapes and sizes to use with my many colours of Glimmer Mist and to dye white seam binding to match too.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Stampin' Up
Papers: cardstocks (Bazzill), patterned (K & Co.)
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx
Accessories: paper flower (Bazzill), Flower Soft, Spellbinder Labels, Cherub Pink Glimmer Mist, seam binding

Sunday, June 19, 2011

New Spellbinder Label Dies


The new Spellbinder Tag dies are very elegant, but their orientation must be kept in mind when creating a design. Many sentiments will not work in a die which is used lengthwise. I was happy to find a Prima resin flower and AMM ribbon that matched perfectly to pull the card design together.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: PTI
Papers: coloured cardstocks (Bazzill), patterned (K & Co.)
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx
Accessories: Spellbinders (Labels 8, Fancy Tags 3), ribbon (AMM), resin flower (Prima)

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Choose Your Words


An image doesn't always have to be the focal point of a card. Carefully chosen sentiments can be used to fill a space that can also be embellished. This sentiment leaves enough space to accommodate the butterfly in the corner of the square.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Cloud 9
Papers: off white cardstock (stash), patterned paper (stash)
Accessories: ribbon (stash), Spellbinders (Classic Squares Large, Fleur de Lis Squares, Butterflies), pearls (Kaiser)

Friday, June 17, 2011

Acrylic Paint Dabbers


I finally got around to using Acrylic Paint Dabbers. In this case I had hoped that the paint would be more opaque, not allowing the patterned paper to show through. Though I am not entirely disappointed with the results, it wasn't what I had planned to achieve. The paints do, however, provide a little texture to the stamped image that inks do not. Just another way to create.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: Stampin' Up
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (stash)
Ink: Versafine Black Onyx
Accessories: Spellbinder Nested Pennants, Adirondak Paint Dabbers, ribbon & button & embroidery thread (stash)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Dying Lace


I learned something while trying to make lace that coordinated with my patterned paper. When dying the lace with Glimmer Mist, blotting the lace in an attempt to make it dry faster, lightened the final result. I reinked the lace and allowed it more drying time.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: cardstock (Bazzill), patterned (Daisy D's)
Accessories: fabric brad (Sandylion), Quickutz die, lace (stash), ribbon (stash), Apple Red Glimmer Mist

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Stamping a Second Generation


The wildflower image was inked and stamped twice, filling the "white space" and creating dimension with the illusion of depth.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: image (Inkadinkado), sentiment (Stampin' Up)
Papers: cardstock (stash), patterned papers (Rusty Pickle)
Ink: Memento Pearlescent Chocolate
Accessories: Fiskars patterned scissors, ribbon (stash)

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

The Illusion of Layers


The young lady images are a perfect start for cards for people of this age. The solid images provide a wonderful base on which to build. Here I have added dimension with Stickles.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: image (CTMH), sentiment (PTI)
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), coloured cardstock (stash), patterned paper (stash)
Ink: Colorbox Celadon
Accessories: EK Success border punch, Spellbinder Long Classic Rectangles Small, Diamond Stickles, Dew Drops

Monday, June 13, 2011

One More Time


This is another card using most of the same "ingredients" as the card posted yesterday. This shows how different cards can turn out even though the same products were used. Consequently, each card is truly a work of art.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: background (Judikins), flower (Artful Inkables), sentiment (Stampin' Up)
Inks: Distress (Wild Honey, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Milled Lavender, Peeled Paint), Versamark
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), coloured carstock (Bazzill)
Accessories: Spellbinder Scalloped Circle, Marvy Circle Punch, ribbon (AMM), clear embossing powder

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Acrylic Blocks and Distress Inks


The first step to this card was stamping and heat embossing a script image in clear ink and embossing powder. This would resist any ink to be applied afterwards. I tried something new by inking an acrylic block with Distress Ink. Then I misted the inked block and stamped it on white cardstock to create a frame to work within. The next step was to ink and stamp the crackle background. Finally, the flower image was inked and stamped. The result was cut to fit the front of the card and the edges were inked to finish it.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: crackle background (Judikins), flower (Artful Inkables), sentiment (Stampin' Up)
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), coloured cardstocks (Bazzill)
Inks: Distress (Antique Linen, Tea Dye, Milled Lavender, Peeled Paint, Wild Honey), Versamark
Accessories: acrylic block, Spellbinder Circles & Scalloped Circles, ribbon (AMM), clear embossing powder

Saturday, June 11, 2011

A Quickie


This card took no time to complete. The image was coloured with 3 Distress Inks, distressed on the edges and mounted on a card base with a layer of coloured cardstock. The image already incorporates a sentiment. A little bling was added, along with a knotted ribbon to complete the design.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Hero Arts (?)
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), green & pink cardstocks (Bazzill)
Inks: Distress (Antique Linen, Spun Sugar, Peeled Paint)
Accessories: ribbon (stash), clear rhinestones (Kaiser)

Friday, June 10, 2011

Fill a Vase


The Close to My Heart stamp set with vases is a "must have". It can be filled in so many ways and works very well with a long card design. In this case, I added texture to the card with a paper flower and ribbon bow. Since the "white" in the patterned paper wasn't as bright as the base cardstock, I sprayed the entire face of the card with Pearl Glimmer Mist, bringing the white tones closer in colour.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: CTMH
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned (stash)
Inks: Versafine Black Onyx, Colorbox Amber Clay
Accessories: paper flower (stash), Pearl Glimmer Mist, Spellbinder Labels 8 & Ovals & Scalloped Ovals, ribbon (stash), pearl (Kaiser)

Thursday, June 9, 2011

To Bling or Not to Bling


In my version of this card, I added a little more dimension by using foam squares between the red and top layers of the card. It may not be apparent in the scan, but a dry embossed line 1/4" from the edge of the white cardstock frames the face. I did this with a Scor-Pal. The design appealed to me because I liked the use of a few small squares, stamped with the same image, but in a different way, to show movement. The original card had rhinestones in the middle of the snowflakes. Though I didn't include them on my card, I think they will be added before the card is mailed.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: Inkadinkado
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), red cardstock DCWV)
Inks: Colorbox Frost White & Cranberry
Accessories: Scor-Pal, Creative Memories Square Punch, white embossing powder

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Elegant Elements


To support this elegant image I chose to use elegant embellishments. The Spellbinder Fleur De Lis Squares and the textured buttons did the trick.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamp: Hero Arts (?)
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), kraft cardstock (Bazzill), black cardstock (stash)
Inks: Verafine Black Onyx, Distress (Antique Linen, Fired Brick, Peeled Paint)
Accessories: buttons & embroidery thread (stash), Spellbinder Fleur de Lis Squares, Creative Memories Square Punch

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

I Love Ladybugs


When I saw a portion of a die cut circle on another card, I thought this was a unique element to include in one of my designs. The patterned paper made me think summer, so using a ladybug instantly came to mind. Its design perfectly accommodates rhinestones. Red, black and white elements pull the card together.


Natalie

Card Recipe
Stamps: sentiment (CTMH), image (Inkadinkado)
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), patterned paper (stash), embossed red cardstock (stash)
Ink: Verafine Black Onyx
Accessories: black rhinestones (Kaiser), ribbon (Fabricland), Spellbinder Circles, buttons (stash), patterned scissors (Fiskars)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Negative, In a Good Way


For this card I used a Crafter's Workshop Template to dry emboss white cardstock. I fed the sandwich through my Big Shot as I would an embossing folder, however, paper shims were required. I used folded pieces of text paper as shims and found that different weights of cardstock warrant different numbers of shims. You can keep feeding the sandwich through the Big Shot until you get the definition you desire. The numbers were cut out of the dry embossed paper using number dies. I layered the negative of the dry embossed paper over coloured cardstock to make the focal point of my card pop.

Natalie

Card Recipe
Papers: white cardstock (Georgia Pacific), coloured cardstocks (Bazzill)
Accessories: Crafter's Workshop Template, number dies (Papertrey Ink), ribbon (Doodlebug)