Christmas Club - Mixed Media and Trees

Welcome to another Christmas Card Club post...and this time yours truly picked the challenge: Mixed Media with trees (the mixed media could be sponging, paste, sprays, texture or anything of that sort.)

Recently received some stencils from Stamplorations and decided to use one of those with Brushos, then try it with some embossing paste. First made a background with greens using Brusho crystals, Nuance, Colorburst and Infusion powders. Started with a slightly damp piece of 148# Strathmore water color paper, sprinkled the crystals and powders very carefully, then used Dylusions sprays that had been either diluted with water or mixed with the white Dylusions. It created an interesting color.
Then used the stencil over a slightly dampened w/c cardstock, sprinkled very carefully the same products through the openings of the stencil. That didn't turn out quite as well as I'd hoped, but I'll share it anyway. Then tried the same stencil using some Silver Dreamweaver embossing paste. I liked that one better.

- Christmas Trees Mini stencil - sprinkled the crystal & powder products over the stencil after slightly dampening the white Strathmore water color cardstock prior to placing the stencil. (masked off the sencil design I did not want). Spritzed the powders very lightly to create movement, then blotted with a paper towel. When this dried completely, replaced the stencil, spread some Golden gel beads over the stencil.(clean the stencil quickly after using this gel bead paste or embossing paste- before it hardens on the stencil). The beads paste is starting to harden or dry a bit in the jar; did not spread easily, and I was not pleased with the result. (one of the times I say "now why did I not leave well enough alone?"). Also got some of the color out in the white area surrounding the tree....so how to fix this? Since the gel beads are quite dimensional, die cutting was not an option. Traced an oval die, hand cut the motif.   First tried a white gel pen to cover the problem areas but that wasn't very effective. Then used white acrylic paint, dabbed it around the background area. The white paint picked up some of the extraneous colors, and changed to a dappled blue green, which looked better.

Memory Box die to cut the green brusho background (this has an oval in the rectangle die).
Tim Holtz Texture fade embossing on the white background. Placed the oval tree shape onto some white fun foam, for the design as you see it.

M.Box Merry Christmas die for the sentiment - 3 layers, embossed with Ranger Queen's Gold. The star is 2 layers, from a tiny punch, same Queen's Gold. This one is definitely an experiment in mixed media.

Next try:

Same stencil over water color #148..using Silver Dreamweaver embossing paste, and this time included the star at the top of the stencil. Removed the stencil, and while the paste was still wet, sprinkled some coarse Martha Stewart glitter over it. Doesn't show too much in the photo, but IRL, it sparkles beautifully. I was much happier with this effect than that with the green.

Hand trimmed the tree piece..the silver mat is a textured lightweight silver DP. Embossed this mat with a PTI die. Jennifer McGuire has an excellent video showing how to emboss using dies.

T.Holtz Texture fade embossed white card stock, then sponged it lightly with Delicata Silver. First I had tried using Versamark on the EF, then sprinkling a Silver EP over it after embossing. Evidently didn't get a good layer of the versamark, because the EP didn't stick in a lot of places. Brushed all of that off pretty well, then sponged it with the Delicata Silver.

- M.Box Merry Christmas die - 3 layers of the same dp as the mat. The Dreamweaver paste spread like butter...

If you have time, please visit my fellow team members, whose blog links can be found in the right side bar. And thanks for joining me today. Hope you liked these cards, and enjoyed my adventures. I like to know when other card makers have problem cards, and what they do to try to salvage the project. I learn as much from mistakes as I do from a well executed card. Hope you don't mind that I share my boo-boos! You can always skip over that part, if you don't want to read the story.

And we did have a lovely family Thanksgiving to all who asked. Big hugs, and prayers too for some of my blog buddies who are in need of them just now. Come again when you can.

Embossing Paste and Copper Frantage



Hello and welcome to a scheduled post. Today's card has been finished for a while, but has been weighted down due to curling edges! The card front is a heavier water color paper. Started off with a Tim Holtz Scribble stencil, mixed up some white embossing paste with acrylic inks. Then think some watercolors were puddled around (smooshed) to create the top colors. (gosh, it's been so long, I don't honestly remember what created the background, but pretty sure it was watercolor of some sort).

Once again, tried my hand at frontage**. This stuff is a copper flake type of stuff, think it's made by Stampendous. On the stenciled area, dropped the flakes into the still damp paste, and then once this had dried, used some versamark over the top area, dropped some more copper flakes. Used a heat gun from underneath to try to adhere it. Something I must be doing wrong, cause this stuff just doesn't like me. Finally put out some glue, used tweezers, dipped the flakes into the glue, onto the card. The stuff is still falling off! What has stayed put, looks ok I guess.
**Edit: For the sweet commenters who suggested trying to heat the frontage from underneath, I did try that. (and  have with other efforts). Also very gently from the top, with the heat tool a distance away, moving and not staying on one spot. I just can't seem to manage to get the stuff to stick. This particular one was more of a 'flake' than the chunkier powders I've tried that are labeled frontage. But it was _supposed_ to stick when heated, according to the directions on the jar.

 

 

Butterfly has been floating around in the Crapalanche for a while, and it had been colored with Zig watercolor brushes, after being embossed with clear EP over black inking. Added some Bronze irResistible pico overe the body and on the wings. Doesn't show well in the photo, but IRL it looks quite nice with the copper flakes.

 

A die sentiment was covered with versamark, embossed with a WOW copper EP. While still warm from the heat gun, applied more versamark, EP, heat...Did this 3 times to get a very textured and dimensional appearance to the die cut that I liked.  Rounded off the corners, and called it done. Then put under a stack of acrylic stamp blocks to press out the curling watercolor front.  This will probably become a birthday card.

 

Ya'll have a grand day. Sharing a couple photos of the bathroom project...the demolition crew showed up Tuesday, in the rain. We'd had lovely days, so of course it's Murphy's Law, that it would rain on the day this tear out would take place. A bathroom window had to be dismantled in the pouring rain, so that the crew could toss the debris into a waiting dump truck. I could just envision them having difficulty replacing the sashes back in the track, and me being stuck with an open window and it raining. Pleased to report the crew were efficient, professional, and despite having to track in through the wet, left the area pretty clean. Hope the rest of this project will go as smoothly as this part did!

 

Come again when you can. Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wood stuff was something from another project that was going to the dump. Our stuff is just the old marble walls and the glass blocks. Hopefully in a few weeks, I can share pictures of the finished project (fingers x'd!)

 

 

 

 



 

 

Green & Gold - Happy

Good afternoon, and welcome. Today's card is a scheduled post, with a card made from some bits that were in the Pile. The piece was done on watercolor weight paper, probably using sprays and micas. Found it, decided to try the Viva Décor Gold modeling paste through a Tim Holtz Flourish stencil. After looking at it for a while, decided to try to finish off something to use it.

- a die from a very old S/B set cut the corners, can't decide if some gold pearls should be placed on each corner, or just leave as it is.

- purchased prefolded chartreuse card from The Paper Cut at a craft show (on a great sale due to the color I'm sure...). Stamped with an Impression Obsession Cover a Card  Thin Stripes CC001 which had versamark applied. Then used WOW Gold Pearl to eat emboss and was quite pleased with the results. Dressed up the plain card but very subtle so as to not compete with the gold flourishes of the embossing paste design. Only used one coat of EP for this effort.

- Memory Box Painted Happy die cut 4 layers of watercolor weight white (snippets) - colored each layer with a Gold WoStella pen. Then used versamark on the top layer, heat embossed with the WOW Gold Pearl, 2 coats. One coat does not give the coverage that I prefer...after applying the first coat, it's dipped back on the versamark pad, more EP applied, and reheated. The 2nd coat gives this effect that looks like gold metal, which I think is quite pretty. Photo does not show this well.

No other sentiment on the front, but I think this will have an anniversary verse on the inside, as our DD has one coming up in May. Came together fast (for me!) once I thought of how to use the snippets. Little by little, some of the stuff in the pile is getting  put on cards.

Thanks for popping in to visit, and hopefully there will be a few more scheduled posts this week. In the meantime, Big Cyber Hugs to all!

Christmas Card Club - Anything Goes - with embossing paste

Hello everyone, and welcome to another Christmas Card Club post - and today our theme was selected by Sylvie of Gibmiss. Her challenge was an Anything Goes, and I decided to go with a Dreamweaver's metal stencil and some pearlized embossing paste. First, though, let me wish all the international Moms a wonderfully Happy Mothering Day. Here in the USA, we shall celebrate that blessed holiday next month.

Also in today's post, there will be a post to the Friends' Cards tab, as we received 2 very lovely St. Patrick's Day cards that we've been enjoying. Now, onto the Anything Goes CCC.

This card was inspired by one seen sometime ago, done by Jill at Ribbon Challenged. When I saw Jill's beautiful card, my own stencil was on the air brush table, but had yet to be used. Thanks, Jill, for this inspiration, belated though the final effort is!

Some weeks ago, decided to experiment with some pearlized embossing paste (below, just in case you may not be familiar with this product).

Once the piece had dried very well, dug out some VOS (very old stuff!) of Pebbles chalks... a metallic set and really the chalk is more of a paste consistency than truly chalk. I liked the way the colors went over the dried pearlized emboss. It was a bit difficult to color the holly, using a Q-tip on the tiny spots - it smeared outside the raised edges. I was biting my tongue & being very careful as I applied it, too.  The birds and holly did ok. Decided to add some red rhinestones over the holly berries, and liked that a little better.

- S/B Majestic Square die for main image, S/B classic square for glitter paper mat, and Sue Wilson New York Collection Times Square die for the pattern dp - which came from an old 12x12 Christmas pack. The center portion of each  layer was removed by using a square die before adhering to a white card base.

Debated on adding a sentiment, but finally stamped a clear Merry using Colorbox Warm Lipstick Fluid Chalk ink. Didn't want to cover up any of the embossed image. Hope you like it, and thanks Sylvie, for a fun theme on this challenge. Do please check out all my fellow members at the Christmas Card Club - their links are on the sidebar.

We have some warm lovely sunshine today, after a dreary overcast Saturday. Very welcome. Enjoy whatever it is that you may be doing today. Another request - if you can - is to please say a prayer for a sweet blogging buddy & her husband, who are going through a difficult patch of life at the moment. I would be so grateful, and I'm sure they would as well. Big hugs & God Bless. Thanks for visiting today.

St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun - March 2015

Top O' th Mawn-ing to ya and thanks for joining me today for a little visit. We have St. Pat's and Easter holidays drawing nigh, so I'm trying to get in the spirit for each of these holidays. Today I've used one of my favorite St. Pat's image, which was one of the first I ever bought. A cute Art Impression gnome (or leprechaun). He's very easy to color, but I had to fight my tendency to want to color him all in greens. Harder than it sounds, for me to do that.

- Art Impression cling rubber image, colored with copics. Die cut with MFT stitched label. (can you guess I love these stitched dies?) A gold Slicca Pental .025 pen did the stitching in the shirt front.

- Brusho created background, stenciled with Heidi Swapp mosaic stencil using Golden gel beads. Die cut with S/B Ribbon Die. Glued to the green card base, added the image to the left to allow the pretty Brusho background to show as much as possible.

- Taylored Expression March Pockets & Pages sentiment on a snippet of green c/s

- Impression Obsession small Shamrock die, and MS die for the 2 larger shamrocks. After adhering the shamrocks, gave each a coating of Glossy Accents. These were cut from the remaining snippet piece used for the sentiment. Always good to have those snippets handy!

There won't be as many St. Paddy's cards as were done for Valentine's Day, but we do need a few. Hope you enjoy this one, and come again when you have time. Big Hugs.

More Butterflies

Hiya, Happy Sunday. First, thank you to all who sent comments about the Blogger issue. I've tried to follow some of those suggestions (right now I'm online with Firefox as my browser, still can't sign in to a blog where I'm already a follower, but not seeing myself. I give up! I've already wasted too much time on this frustrating issue).

There's a lovely challenge going on here and since there were a couple of spraying & embossing paste projects in the works, here's another butterfly card. Didn't turn out as envisioned, and hope that the faux piercing done by the die cut won't disqualify this one from the theme of A Stitch in Time. If you squint very hard, the piercing on the die _does_ look stitched! This one also has a few snippety bits too.

- base background (snippet) was smudged as a drying piece as when spraying top focal part; adding some WRMemory Keepers acrylic paint, heavily diluted with water & placed in a spray bottle. Very glimmery. Debossed with a Darice Argyll folder, . This background piece was just an extra white card stock on the table, used to blot the top w/color c/s while wet. Got some nice color, decided to experiment with the embossing folder..

- focal top piece was 140# weight w/color paper - sprayed with Dylusions (think it was Lime Green) diluted with White Linen. Let it dry, then sprayed again with the WRM diluted green - nice shimmer.  THoltz Splat stencil and some Mixed Media ?chalk? (in a pot, got at Michaels on sale...feels more like a chalky substance than ink, but is also 'wetter' than the usual chalky feel). I sponged this blue media using the TH stencil.  TCW flower stencil was used for the Viva Decor Glitter Paste embossing at top left. Let that dry. Used a Memory Box butterfly stencil with the same paste, let that dry. (For anyone just experimenting with these pastes, be sure to have some soapy water handy to clean off stencils & tool quickly. It dries fast, will be hard to remove if not removed at once when you've finished. Also, be sure to close the paste jar quickly.) MFT Die-namics pierced rectangle stax to die cut a portion of the w/c paper project.

Closeup of the butterfly

- Memory Box Darla butterfly cut from the same blue color cardstock used for matting (snippet).
Sponged with DI Tumbled Glass & Stormy Sky, then embossed with a dots EF. Black overlay is the matching MB Vivienne die from a snippet of lightweight black glitter paper.

- pearls for the butterfly body and some green rhinestones to dress him up to go flying over The Pond to visit the Butterfly Challenge and see Parsnip at the Snippet Playground for week 117. C'mon & go along.

Hope all the details didn't put you to sleep. Had fun messin' about with this one. Thanks for visiting & Sunday Hugs!

A Stenciling Experiment

Good evening and Upstate South Carolina got the predicted 'weather' today. Nothing really drastic, just some pretty swirling snowflakes. I think the temps were in the mid 30's F. We're being advised that overnight & tomorrow will be much worse, with a sleety ice mixture and more snow. Usually we see quite a bit of traffic go by our home - as we live on the corner of 2 streets in a rather largish subdivision. There's been much less traffic today, but still some. In past winters, we've been able to stand at our front windows and watch our neighbors navigate the icy corner, heading for the steep hill that is the exit from the neighborhood. Very shortly, we see the same car come sliding slowly back past our view. We are both always thankful that we aren't the folks who are having to brave the roads to get to a job. (Well, I'm always more thankful than DH, who is sure He could manage the roads much better! NOT! He learned to drive in South Florida, just as I did!).

Let me say warm welcome to Ignacio Molina of Nicecrane Designs who has joined as my latest follower.

I'm sure that many of you visit here, know these beautiful Nicecrane images. I've seen them used so skillfully by many blogs that I follow, and just purchased some of the designs. (Check Redanne and Stamping with Klass to name 2 very enjoyable places where I had seen these designs used. There are quite a few others too, but these particular blogs were fresh in my memory). I finally got my brain & my fingers coordinated at the same time and ordered a couple of the bird images. You do know, I like birds, right? See my lovely new blog header?? Well, it was designed by Ignacio of NiceCrane and I am just over the moon with how pretty it is. THANK YOU, Ignacio!

Decided to change some of the other colors to complement the new header. What do do you think? And please do yourself a favor, and visit Nicecrane to see the beautiful images...which are extremely reasonably priced. Stay tuned...I hope I can soon do justice to the pretty bird sets I ordered.

I'm sharing my stencil experiment I mentioned in an earlier post. It's really more of an example of: Don't do what I did!

- card stock was coated with gesso and dried overnight. Used some modeling paste over a Memory Box vines stencil. Think I used a stencil that was more intricate than I should have for this attempt and also probably got the paste on too thick. Let this dry overnight, and made sure to clean the stencil immediately when I lifted it from the paste. Still had a little shifting mishap as I lifted the stencil, which yielded a raised surface after drying. (if that makes sense..it was a rough raised place that should not have been there!)  Used a sand block to sand the dried surface, and that helped.

- painted some acrylic paints in golden & turquoise greens that were mixed with a cream color - over the entire surface;  using a small brush, painted in the depressed areas of the vine motif, with the turquoise green. I was liking the effort a bit better after this dried.

- smudged some Viva Décor Inca Silver paste with my finger over 2 corners - where you see the glimmer. Used some Viva Stempel paint in a turquoise color and smudged that around in some areas. The silver gleams nicely - no that is not a camera flash, but the silver that you see!

- MB Serene Bird die in navy blue Bazzill, popped up over a Die-namics Leaf Filled Flourish.
The leaf was cut from a snippet of dp, further shaded with copics. Lighter green leaf  was in the snippets pile, probably is a MB diecut from white c/s, shaded with copics. Used some of the 3D Crystal Effects on the leaves, let that dry overnight. Attempted to add the MB leaf around the bird with Glossy Accents. Where it touched the navy bird, the GA left 2 small smears. Thought it would dry clear. Didn't! Tried covering the edge with some glitter, intending to shade the glitter using dark blue copics. Alas, the copics pulled up the glitter. (I've seen that done on some other blogs, so not sure what I did wrong.).  This bird looks like he's been at our bird feeder and got some ice crystals on his feathers! I don't like it that he looks like he's got sugar spilled all over him, so this will go in the samples stash.

I had been a bit dissatisfied with the stencil results at first. As I kept working on the piece, I was liking it a bit better. As I was putting the dies atop the piece, I was getting happier. When I got the Glossy Accents smears on the bird, I was not pleased. I've always heard this stuff dries clear...well, it didn't on this navy Bazzill.

Dream sentiment is from mirror paper snippet using an Elizabeth Craft die. I enjoyed this experiment enough to try it again. I will use my Aileen's Easy Flow glue to adhere in future. I know this stuff dries clear...

Hope you enjoyed my ramblin's this evening. Also hope that should you be in the path of this storm front, that your power is staying on, snow is not endangering your roof, or any dreadful stuff like that. We're staying cozy, and I even cooked today - also baked a carrot cake for snacking tonight. Remember...I don't cook!

Thanks for your visit, and many Cyber Hugs. Come again when you can.



Friday Fun Day Challenge at Jo's Scrap Shack

Good Morning, and welcome to another Friday Fun Day challenge #22 over at Jo's Scrap Shack. Today the sponsor for Team A is Bugaboo Digi Stamps. I've chosen the very easy to color, Autumn Sign. Our challenge was "Anything Goes", and I thought I'd read somewhere "anything but a card". Decided I'd try using this cute little digi on a tag, experiment with some of the molding paste that I've gotten in my recent travels. Here is the tag:

 







- Manilla tag sprayed with Dylusions Orange Zest, Postbox Red, Melted Chocolate - which had been diluted with water & White Linen which made the sprays more opaque. The Chocolate was water with some Tattered Angels Gold, which doesn't show in the photo, but created a pretty bronze glimmer to the painted surface.