Paper Squirrel: Easter

Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Welcome Spring!

It may not really feel like it yet here in Michigan, but spring is finally here! To celebrate, I played with my acrylic paints again.

The Details:

The card base is pale yellow stock on which I randomly swiped three colors of paint (tomato, plum, and yellow ochre) in long strokes using a make-up sponge.
On top of the swipes, I stamped a crackled paint design in cream paint.
To that, I added some speckling in spice and ochre using an old paint brush.
And finally, a little Vintage Photo Distress Ink aged the edges just a tad.
A printed K&Co diecut was the inspiration piece for the background colors and is the perfect spring-y centerpiece for this card.
A strip of scalloped yellow gingham patterned paper breaks up the painted background just enough.
Of course I didn't have any ribbon to match my creation, so I once again dyed my own using acrylic paint and a little Distress Ink.

A fluffy white flower and tomato button are a nice soft touch.
And finally, the greeting was handwritten onto punched photo labels with a Wild Honey Distress Marker. I used the leftover paint on the make-up sponge to lightly accent the edges.

Another Easter card finished!

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Lemon Tart’; Stampin’ Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Miss Caroline ‘Fiddlesticks’ 6x6
Stamps:	SU! ‘Crackle’
Inks:	Acrylic paint Delta Ceramcoat ‘Tomato Spice’, ‘Dusty Plum’, Americana ‘Yellow Ochre’, ‘Light Buttermilk’; Distress Ink ‘Vintage Photo’, ‘Milled Lavendar’; Distress Marker ‘Wild Honey’
Embellishments:	K&Co. diecut ‘SW Spring Blossom Seed’; Darice flower; Close to My Heart button; PTI rustic button twine; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’
Tools:	Heat tool; mister; make-up sponge; foam ink blender; 3M foam tape; scallop edge scissors; glue dots; EK Success punch ‘Photo Labels’; toothbrush

Sunday, March 10, 2013

We're kicking off a week of Easter cards at Card A Day Blog and I've been playing with paint!

I admit, I love all things Tim, but with the wedding fast approaching, I'm really trying to rein in my craft spend. So, while I keep seeing these wonderful blogland posts on the new Distress Paints, I just can't bring myself to purchase them when I have a whole rack of acrylic paints languishing in the studio! And though I'm sure DPs are magical, I thought I'd see what I could do with those abandoned ordinary, non-Tim paints...

The Details:

That's right, I'm starting with the details before even showing you the end result...I'm building drama! LOL! Plus, I actually remembered to get the camera out while in the process of creating, not just at the end.
I've seen a lot of stamping and background work with DPs, so I decided that was a perfect way to start my paint experimentation. I made my card base from spring moss stock, then added some "swoops" of yellow ochre using a make-up sponge (I love using make-up sponges for paint because they do a great job and are cheap enough that I just toss 'em when I'm done).

Next layer was a postcard background stamped in buttermilk. I also lightly swiped the edges and corners with buttermilk.

Paint gives the image such dimension and texture...I love it!

Final paint layer was some rouge fly-speckling using a toothbrush. The more water you add to your paint, the larger the speckles will be. Always test on a scrap before flicking onto your project.

Something I haven't seen DPs used for (yet) is coloring ribbon. I didn't have the right shade of ribbon to match my card, so I decided to dye my own using yellow ochre acrylic paint and water. It turned out lovely! At first, it's really matte and heavy looking with the paint pigment.

But then, when you squeeze it in a paper towel, the distressed look comes through and you get highs and lows of color. It has a softer, more chalk-pastel finish than when using ink pigment. Perfect for spring...reminds me of the finish on an eggshell.

I had this perfect Easter image from K&Co. with a not-so Easter-y sentiment. "You're invited"? Seems like an odd choice on their part, but I can fix it!

I punched a photo label from cream cardstock and stamped "Easter" in Crushed Olive DI. After tattering the edges with a Tim Holtz paper distresser, I used the same make-up sponge to add color to the edges. It's subtle because I didn't re-apply any paint to the sponge, I just used what was already on it. I then mounted the finished label over the unwanted sentiment using foam tape for dimension.

Okay, I think I've taunted you enough! Here's the finished card. I used just a touch of patterned paper behind the bunny and flowers image. I'm really pleased with the background and am sure I'll continue my paint experiments.

Challenges:
Aud Sentiments Challenge Blog: Easter Eggstravaganza
Crafty Ribbons Challenge: Anything Goes With Ribbon
The Order of the Opus Gluei: Challenge #152 - Spring has Sprung
Card Caravan Challenge: Fur or Feather
The Squirrel and the Fox: Challenge #39 - Autumn or Spring
Allsorts Challenges: Week #197 - Springtime
Crafty Calender: March Challenge - "Easter Egg-stravaganza!"
One Stop Challenge: #219 - Spring

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Spring Moss’; Stampin’ Up! ‘Naturals Ivory’
Patterned Paper:	Authentique ‘Blissful’ 6x6
Stamps:	SU! ‘All Year Cheer’; Unity Ippity ‘Thoughts from the Past’
Inks:	Acrylic paint Americana ‘Yellow Ochre’, ‘Buttermilk’, Delta Ceramcoat ‘Rouge’; Distress Ink ‘Crushed Olive’
Embellishments:	K&Co diecut ‘SW Spring Blossom Seed’; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’
Tools:	Scallop edge scissors; Stamp-a-ma-jig; EK Success punch ‘Photo Labels’; 3M foam tape; mister; heat tool; Tim Holtz paper distresser; make-up sponge; toothbrush

Monday, March 4, 2013

CCC #11: Bunny Hop

Here we are in March already and Easter is sneaking up on us quickly!

Join us for our two-week "Easter Card" theme at Creative Cutting Challenge and get a head start on your Easter greetings. Click here to check out the creative inspiration from our Design Team and join the challenge. Even if you don't use SVG files yet, it's definitely worth the visit for some great ideas!

I created this pastel patchwork card with a fun leaping bunny silhouette as the focal point.

Some Details:

I knew going into this card that I wanted to use this adorable leaping bunny silhouette from The Creative Pointe's "Easter Bunny" SVG set.

I cut him from white card stock, then sweetened him up with some Spun Sugar Distress Stain. He needed some detail, so I used my white Glaze gel pen to add some stitch line details. He's leaping across the patchwork background on some foam tape for dimension.

The first layer of my "patchwork" was the rectangles of patterned paper. Then I added some white stamped polka dots and white gel pen doodling in the empty rectangles.
It still needed some love, so I added the washi tape banners, the stamped "Happy Easter", and a few pastel brads.

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Lemon Tart’; Stampin’ Up! ‘Confetti White’
Patterned Paper:	Jillibean Soup ‘Southern Chicken Dumpling Soup’ 6x6
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Easter Bunny Set’
Stamps:	SU! ‘Itty Bitty Backgrounds’, ‘All Year Cheer’
Inks:	SU! craft ‘White’, ‘Regal Rose’; Glaze pen ‘White’; Distress Stain ‘Spun Sugar’
Embellishments:	Washi tape; SU! brads ‘Soft Subtles’
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; 3M foam tape; hole punch; Glossy Accents; Stamp-a-ma-jig

Monday, February 18, 2013

CCC #10: Hoppy Easter

Wow, I can't believe we're on our tenth challenge already! I also can't believe that Easter is sneaking up on us already...eesh!

Our two-week "Easter - Not a Card" theme at Creative Cutting Challenge will help ease you into starting those Easter projects. Click here to check out the creative inspiration from our Design Team and join the challenge. Even if you don't use SVG files yet, it's definitely worth the visit for some great ideas!

For my design team project, I created an egg-shaped welcome sign for my front door. It measures 10-inches high and is 3-layers of recycled cereal boxes thick for sturdiness.

The Details:

The Easter egg was cut using The Creative Pointe's "Easter Egg Set" SVG file. It was a cinch to scale my egg up to 10-inches tall. Since I don't own a deep-cut Cricut blade, I maximized the pressure, increased the blade length, and set Sure-Cuts-A-Lot (SCAL) on 3x multi-cut to get through the cereal boxes. I cut three cardboard bases and glued them together.
The next cut was a plaid patterned paper base.
The final egg cut was the outline portion from the floral patterned paper. I wanted a three-color egg, so I used the center section as a pattern to hand cut the pink patterned paper.
Font "Minya Nouvelle" was used to cut the letters.
The adorable bunny silhouette is from The Creative Pointe's "Easter Bunny Set" SVG file. I love how his little tail is a separate piece for dimension. It would be cute to replace it with a little pom pom!

The bottom of my egg needed just a little something, so in keeping with the white silhouette theme, I punched out three flowers and added green pearl centers.

The last thing required was a way to hang it. I punched a hole in the top and added a fluffy seam binding bow and hanging loop.

Challenges:
The Cheerful Stamp Pad: Challenge #54 - Anything But a Card
Forever Friends: February Challenge - Animals and/or Butterflies and/or Birds
Make It Monday: MIM #128
Craft My Life: My All Crafts Challenge #4
Hotshot Craft: Challenge #15 - Anything But a Card
Joyful Stamper: Inspire Me Fridays #96 - Anything Goes

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Stampin’ Up! ‘Confetti White’
Patterned Paper:	The Paper Studio, scraps
SVG:	The Creative Pointe ‘Easter Egg Set’, ‘Easter Bunny Set’
Embellishments:	Pearls; Hug Snug seam binding ‘Ivory’
Tools:	SCAL; Cricut Expression; SU! punch ‘Daisy’, eyelet setter; emery board; 3M spray adhesive; Xyron Create-a-Sticker
Misc:	Cardboard (recycled cereal boxes)

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter!

He is Risen!

And the angel answered and said unto the women,

Fear not: for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified.

He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.

Matthew 28:5-6

Easter Blessings, dear followers! Today, I'm sharing the last of my Easter cards; another made with the Karen Foster Designs "Vintage Easter" stickers. Four cards made and still a few stickers left for next year or a scrapbook layout...quite an economical purchase! And bonus points to me for using them the same year I bought them. No withering away in the ever-increasing stash!

Just a Few Details:

I scalloped just the bottom of my patterned papers, layering them with about 1/4" reveal of the bottom paper. I wanted my scallops to align, so I made sure to start the cut at the same point on both papers. Three baby pearl accents adorn the ribbon under the adorable bunny sticker.

Have you tried dying your own seam binding? I admit, I'm addicted to it. I have TONS of ribbon and I always go to the ready-made stash first (because I have TONS of ribbon...), but if I can't find the right color, I can always dye my ivory seam binding to match. I love making it distressed looking with more dye in some places than others. This scrumptious bow is accented with a pearl corsage pin.

Hope you're enjoying this special day with loved ones!

Supplies:
Cardstock:	Papertrey Ink ‘Kraft’
Patterned Paper:	My Mind’s Eye Lost & Found ‘Market Street’
Stamps:	Stampin’ Up! ‘The Gifts of Spring’
Inks:	StazOn ‘Timber Brown’; Stampin’ Up! classic ‘Rose Romance’, ‘Cameo Coral’; Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’, ‘Heirloom Gold’
Embellishments:	Karne Foster Design cardstock stickers ‘Vintage Easter’; Hug Snug seam binding; pearl corsage pin; pearl accents
Tools:	Scallop scissors; heat gun; Stamp-a-ma-jig

Friday, April 6, 2012

Bunny Box

Do you recognize this?

If you're a fan of Laughing Cow cheese, you probably have one of these boxes in your refrigerator right now. I usually eat a cheese wedge as part of lunch and before I'd toss each box away, I'd stare at it for a while...just knowing that I could do something crafty with it.

Well, I finally gave in to my inner squirrel and stashed one away. It wasn't in the stash for long (thank goodness!) before I created this little bunny box with it. I'm about 80% liking this box. I know I can do better, so plan on seeing more experimentation with this surface...I do eat one little cheese wedge a day, so I can build up a stash pretty quickly!

A Couple Details:

Tissue tape makes dealing with oddly shaped edges soooo much simplier! I applied a couple of layers...one wrapping the bottom edge and one wrapping the top edge for both the top and bottom of the box.

My Coluzzle (you could also use an electronic cutting machine) made quick work of cutting circles to cover the top and bottom.

The adorable bunny image is from The Graphics Fairy. I colored him with Distress Inks and a water pen, then added several layers of UTEE to give him some thickness.
Some Tim Holtz adornments make our bunny royal and heavenly (it is an Easter box). And layered flowers, seam binding, buttons, and an edging of Liquid Pearls finish things off.

Challenges:

Simply Create Too: Challenge #10 - Eggs / Bunnies

CRAFT Challenge: #149 - Easter / Spring

Craft Us Crazy: Challenge #24 - Altered Item / Anything But a Card

Rainbow Lady's: Challenge #199 - Happy Easter

Papercraft Star: Challenge #91 - Anything Goes

The Sisterhood of Crafters: Celebrating Easter

Recycle, Re-Purpose & Re-invent: Anything Goes

The Graphics Fairy - Brag Monday #131

Supplies:
Patterned Paper:	K & Co Classic K ‘Bailey’
Image:	Graphics Fairy; Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage
Inks:	Distress Ink ‘Old Paper’, ‘Tattered Rose’, ‘Frayed Burlap’, ‘Vintage Photo’, ‘Evergreen Bough’; Versamark; Distress Stain ‘Victorian Velvet’; Perfect Pearls Mist ‘Perfect Pearl’, ‘Heirloom Gold’; Alcohol Ink ‘Mushroom’, ‘Pearl Mixative’, ‘Blending Solution’
Embellishments:	Darice flowers; Prima flowers; vintage buttons; Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE); Tim Holtz adornments; TH tissue tape ‘Nostalgic’; Hug Snug seam binding; Liquid Pearls ‘Bisque’
Tools:	Foam and felt ink blenders; Glossy Accents; Matte Multi-Medium; Glue Dots pop up; Coluzzle; heat tool; TH paper distresser; tweezers; Wondertape; water pen
Misc:	Laughing Cow cheese box

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Spring is Here!

Another card today featuring the "Vintage Easter" cardstock stickers from Karen Foster Design. Also another monochromatic card, but this time in yellows / golds with the "Spring is Here!" sticker adding the only other colors to the palette.