Happy Birthday Kelley!! :)

Today is the owner of Our Daily Bread Designs' birthday! Happy Birthday Kelley!! Today some of the design team members have decided to celebrate by creating a card for Kelley with some of her earlier sets!! The set I chose to use is the Flourished Christian Symbols set.

I decided to use the faux suede technique where I used some brown Liquid Applique rolled it on some white card stock with my brayer, and then used my heat gun to created the suede feel! I then stamped the image on the faux suede with black Stazon. The panel behind the image was dry embossed with a cuttlebug folder sponged with Walnut Stain Distress ink. The DP is from Basic Grey's Capella Package. To finish off the card, I added some crochet ribbon from May Arts layered with a bit of green satin ribbon.

Next and final stop of the hop is the ODBD blog!! If you would like to leave a birthday wish for Kelley, please comment the most current post there!!! Kelley, I hope you have a wonderful b-day!! :)

Connie

Card Details:

Image: Flourished Christian Symbols - ODBD
Inks: Stazon Black

Paper: Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake, White, Basic Grey's Capella

Accessories: Crochet Ribbon - May Arts, Green Satin Ribbon, Liquid Applique, Brayer, Heat Gun

CC193 - Maple Tree Painting on Faux Suede

I made this card for CC193 - Real Red, Basic Black and Kraft (or creamy caramel...which is what I used).

When I saw this color combo, I knew it would work great for this idea I have had in my head for this large maple tree image from Innovative Stamp Creations...to stamp this beautiful tree on a faux suede panel.

I have put together a picture tutorial here to demonstrate how I created the faux suede background.

First, as you can see here in this picture to create the background you will need liquid appliqué, re-inkers and a brayer (you will also need a head gun...it just did not make it in the picture). In this case I am using white LA and creamy caramel re-inkers. LA does come in colors, so if you have a color you want to use, you do not need to do the next step of adding the re-inker color to the LA.

Next take some LA and squeeze it out onto a paper plate, add some drops of re-inker to get the color you desire, and mix them together. I usually use a tooth pick to mix the color. Please note that when mixing with white...once it drys it will come out lighter then the color you are mixing, so go darker then you think you want.

Then take your brayer and roll it into the mixture, making sure to cover the whole surface of your brayer.

Then take your brayer and cover your piece of card stock...in this case I covered a piece of creamy caramel card stock to match the color I had mixed. The more you roll the brayer over the card stock the finer more true texture you will get. Your card stock will be wet. Before going onto to the next step...go clean your brayer...believe me it is not easy to clean once the LA has started to dry. LOL!!

Finally, take your head gun and dry the LA. As you can see here, it is drying quite a bit lighter. Once it is finished drying, you will have a panel of faux suede that will even fool you when you touch it!!

I then finished the card by stamping the tree image in black with Stazon black ink (I have found that other inks will smudge...so if you use them please give it plenty of time to dry). I then tore the bottom portion of the panel, added the ribbon, and hodgepodge hardware. For the sentiment I inked it in Stazon and then I sponged the sentiment panel with creamy caramel ink to distress it even more.

So there you go...faux suede...fun and easy!! :)

Card Details:

Images: Maple Tree Paintings - ISC

Paper: Real Red, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black

Ink: Stazon Black, Creamy Caramel

Accessories: Real Red Ribbon, HPH, Liquid Appliqué, brayer, heat gun

Convention Swaps

Okay, I am finally getting time to upload my 2008 convention swaps. I was in three organized swaps for convention this year. The first was a WOW swap where I did a waterfall card. I used Blooming with Love...when I see this set I think spring, but decided to try and make a fall card with them. Basically I stamped the watering can three times, once setting strait up, once slightly tilted and one more tilted even more. The final waterfall panel is the flower pot...So you get the effect that the watering can is "watering" the flower in the flower pot. Then on the tag portion that you pull, I added the sentiment. I also stamped the chocolate chip background with the sanded background stamp.

Card Details:
Images: Blooming with Love, Sanded
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Same, Plus Stazon Black
Accessories: Jumbo Eyelets, Twine

My second Swap was a technique swap. I decided to do one of my most favorite techniques ever...Faux Suede. For this technique you need liquid applique...in this case I used white and added creamy caramel re-inkers to give it the brown suede color. Then I brayered it on some creamy caramel card stock and dried it with my heat gun. This give the card stock a very realistic suede look.

To complete, I stamped the Genuine image from Bronc Buster in chocolate chip, directly on the faux suede card stock. I turned the torn edge of the not quite navy background up, and fastened it with three brads. I also stamped the flourish looking stamp from this set twice on the background...once right side up (on the left) and then again upside down (on the right)...it though it gave a very pretty look on the background. To finish it off I added a brad in the middle of the star on the main image

Card details:
Images: Bronc Buster
Paper: Not Quite Navy, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, Bashful Blue
Ink: Chocolate chip, and creamy caramel re-inker
Accessories/Tools: White Liquid Appliqué, brads, brayer, heat gun


My final card was for a swap that we did at a fellow Challenge Chaser's (CC) house, Wendy's (Wendybell). What a blast we had! It was so nice meeting people I have been talking with for over a year!!

Okay, on to the card...I used kind thoughts...one of my favorites! I inked the butterfly in bravo burgundy and stamped it on So Saffron and then cut it out. Popped it up with a dimensional on the so saffron layer which is stamped with the flourish stamp from this set. Then I added a bunch of layers, the sentiment, and finished it off with the ribbon. Oh yeah, I also stamped the four corners of the always artichoke background with the medallion image from this set.

Card details:
Images: Kind Thoughts
Paper: Always Artichoke, So Saffron Bravo Burgundy
Ink: Same as paper
Accessories: Ribbon, sponges for the inked edges