Winter has arrived

These are also inspired by Tim Holtz's 12 tags of Christmas. They seem to be very appropriate for today, the first day of winter. On the news, they are saying that this will be the first winter in 40 years where every part and region of Canada will have a white Christmas. May all of you have a very blessed and merry Christmas.

Supplies uses-seasonal grungeboard, distress inks, adirondack dabbers, brilliance inks, stamps by Paperbag Studios, Hero Arts, All Night Media

Inspired by Tim Holtz

These cards were all inspired by the Tim Holtz's 12 tags of Christmas. You can check out the tutorials for making all of his tags here. I do not normally follow instructions well, but did want to try the techniques his way at least once.

Supplies used- Distress inks, acrylic paints, paint dabbers, distress crackle paint, glossy accents, prima flowers, embossing powders, seasonal grungeboard, stamps by Oxford Impressions, Stampington and Co, Stampers Anonymous, DeNami Designs

Making your own masks

This card uses some techniques that Tim Holtz used in his latest 12 tags of Christmas, posted to his blog. I have made quite a few of these, with different card bases. If I were doing one special card, particularly if it didn't need to be mailed, I would have also added additional embellishments.

Instead of using one of his masks, I made my own using my Klik n Kut digital cutter. I cut the snowflakes out of clear contact paper. The background was created by smooshing broken china and weathered wood distress inks on a craft sheet, then smooshing the cardstock into the ink. I ironed the cardstock to dry it. I applied my snowflake masks and sponged on faded jeans distress ink over the masked area. Because the contact paper was clear, I could see how much in I needed to apply to get the effect I wanted. The word stamp is embossed in black and the card front mounted on a silver cardstock layer, then onto the pale blue card base. The card is a little hard to photograph because both the embossing and the silver background layer wanted to reflect the light. In real life the black is darker and more intense.

Although I used my cutter for the images, you could cut them out with scissors. You do have to be careful weeding out the waste contact vinyl and I did stick my masks carefully onto my jeans at least 3 times to remove some of the tackiness so that it wouldn't tear my cardstock when I removed them. These are not as substantial as the purchased masks but I really liked being able to use the design that I wanted, and in the size I needed for the card.

Supplies used- distress inks, cardstock, contact paper, KNK, stamp by Stampington and Co.,versamark ink, black embossing powder.

A masculine Santa card

I apologize for the fact that this photo is a little out of focus. I took it quickly right before I gave it to the recipient and obviously my camera settings were a bit off. Hopefully it is good enough for you to get the idea.

This card was done for my son-in-law and is my attempt at a masculine card. I used my Wizard and some cuttlebug folders to texture the cardstock. This is my take on a technique that Annette showed on her blog here. I used gel medium to glue the sections together and Golden fluid acrylic paints to colour the background. I really like the almost leathery texture that these paints give to cardstock.

The Santa face was stamped on tissue paper and adhered to the background with gel medium. It was painted with some glaze lightly tinted with raw umber to give a more antique feel and a gold Adrirondack dabber was used to add metallic accents. The lettering was done with a dymo labeller. I used aged copper brads and turners as embellishments.

Supplies used- Wizard, cuttlebug folders, Golden fluid acrylics, Adirondack gold paint dabber, copper brads and turners, Santa stamp by Rubber Stampede, dymo label maker

Card for my granddaughter

My granddaughter absolutely loves this furry red guy, so this card is specially for her. I cut him out on my Klik n Kut, and used Prismacolor Art Stix to colour and shade him for depth. The wings were cut on gold cardstock using a Spellbinders die in my Wizard. Most of this card uses leftover materials. The oval window card was a leftover piece of cardstock from another card that used the spellbinders ovals as a backing, the greeting was one that did not work on another card, the ribbon was a scrap. I am trying to challenge myself to use up more of my bits and pieces.

Supplies used- cardstock, ribbon, various inks, KNK, spellbinders wizard and dies, stamps by G Studio and Paper Inspirations.

Poinsettia necklace

I had so much fun playing with the calla lilies, I thought I would tackle a poinsettia. I chose to make the poinsettia a burgundy shade, as I thought it would be more versatile than red. I used Premo for this and embedded Swarovski pearls in the center, using eye pins. For some reason, this particular colour, which is a creamy white, turns golden in the oven and I thought they would be pretty for the center of the poinsettia. I chose not to apply a finish so that the poinsettia retained the matte, velvet look that is more realistic and so that I did not lose the soft sparkle that came from adding red pearl to the colour mix.

Supplies used- Premo polymer clay, tools for polymer clay, Swarovski pearls, eyepins, polymer beads, wire, beads and beading supplies.

More calla lilies

I had so much fun playing with the original polymer clay version of the lilies and my metal clay interpretation, that I decided to try and make them smaller and a little finer detailed in the polymer clay. I also made some polymer clay beads in colours to match and I am pleased with their effect in the necklaces. (The original instructions for the calla lilies are found in an article by Christi Friesen in Bead and Button magazine 15th anniversary issue.)

Just a reminder for those of you who might be interested in the design team competition at Oxford Impressions that the deadline for submissions is December 1st, 2008. All of the details are posted here. Good luck and have fun creating.

Supplies used- Premo polymer clay, cookie cutter, Flecto varathane satin finish, beads, pearl ex, acrylic paint, various findings

Calla lilies pendants

Christi Friesen had an article in the 15th Anniversary issue of Bead and Button magazine that showed how to do a calla lilly pin or pendant out of polymer clay. I decided to try it. Unfortunately mine got a spotted effect, perhaps from overcooking, or some clay contamination, but I think I like the effect. I was curious to see how it would look, modified, in Art Clay Silver.



This is much more delicate. I am still in the phase where working with the metal clay feels like magic.

Supplies used- Premo polymer clay, various beads, Flecto Varathane, acrylic paint, Art Clay Silver

Happy Halloween

I thought I would post a couple of cards that I did for Suzanne , using her new plates for Halloween- Trick or Treat and Wicked. The main images were stamped with Memento ink, which is becoming my favourite for images stamped on matte cardstock. The images were coloured with Copic markers and some parts highlighted with the Inkssentials white pen. The background on the skeleton card was done with various distress inks. Hope you enjoy them.

I would also like to mention that Suzanne at Oxford Impressions is currently having a competition to select some new members for her design team. All the details are posted on her site, if this is something that interests you.

Supplies used-stamps from Oxford Impressions, distress inks, Memento ink, adirondack inks, ribbon, KNK for spider web (file done using the tutorial on Sandy McCauley's blog), vinyl, various other inks, patterned paper, Copic markers, Inkssentials white pen

A happy accident

This was one of those cards that came out of an unplanned effect. I was using some Adirondack Color Washes to make a background and one of the spray nozzles was clogged so I got big drops instead of the spray I was expecting. I tilted the cardstock to make the drops run down the paper.
I think it ended up as an effective background for some of Suzanne's new Halloween images, found Here . I highlighted the eyes with the Ranger Inkssentials white pen.

Supplies used- Cardstock, Adirondack inks, Adirondack Color Washes, Inkssentials pen, Memento ink, Stamps from Oxford Impressions.

Rosemary

Card for wedding

This card uses the same basic format and papers as the one that I did for my brother's wedding, but the feel is very different with the darker main colour choice. The bride and groom are Chinese, so I used a much stronger colour. The burgundy is the same colour as their wedding invites and the dresses of the bridemaids. The words were done on my KNK with a papermate erasable pen and embossed with gold detail powder.

Supplies used- paper, cardstock, KNK, gold embossing powder, cuttlebug folder, spellbinders die, distress ink, ArtQuest paint, ribbon

Rosemary

More Pendants

I have been playing again with the Art Clay Silver. This stuff is so much fun, but I am learning some important things in the process. I really do have to plan things better and remember that there is a lot of finishing that can be done after the drying and before the firing. I keep trying to get it perfect at the initial stage and tend to overwork it. And much as I hate to admit it, I really should either sketch or do a mock up in polymer clay first to get better results. I also have to learn how to take better photos as taking pictures of the silver has been a challenge. Having said all of that, I am having great fun with this product.

Supplies used- Art Clay Silver 650 slow dry, sterling silver wire and eye pin, various tools, stamp by JudiKins

Rosemary

ACS Pendant

I have been wanting to try Art Clay Silver for a while and when my local supplier had a 20% off sale, I figured it was time. This pendant is my very first attempt. I used the ACS650 slow dry version and torch fired with a butane torch. For those who have used polymer clay, the time you have to play with this is deceptively short. I found that the expression slow dry is relative - the small bits started to dry really quickly. It made me really grateful that I did not purchase the regular formula. Although there are things I would do differently the next time, I was relatively pleased with the result. I used a rubber stamp for the texture and a cubic zirconium stone.

(I apologize for the quality of the photo. I found this really hard to photograph well, because of the reflection. )

Supplies used- Art Clay Silver 650 slow dry, cubic zirconium, butane torch, texture stamp by JudiKins, various tools

Rosemary

Simple airbrushed card

I made this card for a friend's birthday. This is a really easy, fast card but I love the look. I used a cuttlebug folder for the texture, then airbrushed using a green Copic marker. The tag was die cut using a Wizard die, the phrase stamped, then I put the die cut back in the die and airbrushed using the same marker. I used a little antique linen distress ink to age the tag and some silk ribbon to attach it to the card.

Supplies used: cardstock, Copic marker and airbrush system, word stamp by Hero Arts, antique linen distress ink, Spellbinders ribbon tag trio die, Wizard, Cuttlebug embossing folder

Rosemary

Using a new toy

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while. I have a nasty habit of forgetting to photograph a lot of my cards before they go to the intended recipient. I will try and do better in the future. This card uses the Copic markers. I have had the markers for a while, and just purchased the air brush system. The image is stamped with Memento ink, coloured with Copic markers, masked using Eclipse tape, then I airbrushed the background. I like the way this turned out and this stamp always makes me smile.

Supplies used: Spellbinders dies, stamp by Lost Coast Designs, Copic markers and air brush, metallic rub-ons

Rosemary

Cards published!

A couple of months ago, Suzanne from Oxford Impressions asked those of us on her design team to consider submitting some cards using the Country Girl plate, to Take Ten magazine for a possible article in the fall issue. Today, I received my free copy in the mail- they published 4 of my cards! 2 with the article and 2 in other parts of the magazine. I hope you enjoy them and the work of the other artists in the magazine.

Supplies- all stamps are Oxford Impressions, distress inks, various inks, label maker, markers, watercolours

Rosemary

Altered switch plate

We recently repainted our kitchen and wanted new switch plates for the room. I couldn't find one in this configuration that matched the other new ones we purchased, so decided to dress up a plain beige plastic one. I remembered seeing a mini tutorial or Inkling for this on the yahoo group rangerinklink posted by Yevette. The very plain plastic cover is coloured with Ranger alcohol inks, then has the mesh image stamped multiple times with Versamark ink, then embossed with black detail embossing powders. I inked the edges with the Versamark and embossed them with the black to finish the look. I coloured the screws with a black sharpie to match.

( I should probably have scraped the old paint off the existing socket before I put my plate up, but didn't realize the necessity until I saw it in the picture. lol)

Supplies used - Ranger alcohol inks and mixative , felt tool, Versamark ink, black detail embossing , heat gun, Stampington stamp

Rosemary

Wedding card

Sometimes the simplest things work the best. This card is for my brother's wedding. His fiance loves pink so that determined the colour choices here. The paper was textured in a cuttlebug folder, using my wizard, and the dots and birds highlighted with Lumieres paint. The lettering was done on my KNK using an erasable papermate pen, then embossed with gold embossing powder. I used an oval scallop nestabilities die to cut out the medallion and inked the edges with distress ink.

Supplies uses- KNK, erasable papermate pen, gold detail embossing powder, pearl white lumiere paint, antique linen distress ink, organdy ribbon, spellbinders wizard, scalloped oval nestabilities die, patterned paper, cuttlebug folder, card stock, foam dots

Rosemary

Polymer dragon

Along with my cardmaking, I also dabble a bit with polymer clay. This is my first attempt at a Christi Friesen type dragon. http://www.cforiginals.net/ Probably because of the heat and humidity, I found the clay softened a lot and became more pliable than I would have liked. He ended up more alligator looking than I originally intended, but still usable. It has made me aware to really watch the positioning of the eyes when sculpting the clay.

Supplies used- Premo polymer clay,assorted glass beads, tigers eye beads, freshwater pearls, acrylic paint, Flecto varnish

Rosemary

More metallic texture

This journal was made for my brother's fiance. It also uses the metallic heating and air conditioning tape. The die cut was done on my KNK. The tape was textured with Ten Seconds Studio's tools and antiqued with acrylic paint. It was a little hard to photograph, without getting too much reflection, and has a much shinier appearance in real life.

Supplies used - notebook, metallic tape, acrylic paint, KNK, card stock, Ten Seconds Studio's metal tools

Rosemary

Metallic textures

I created this card a couple of months ago for Suzanne at Oxford Impressions and it uses one of the images from the Country Girl plate. I thought I would share it here as it uses an easily found item to create a metallic textured look that is easy to do and light weight enough to be used on a card that could be mailed. The letters were cut out of card stock on my KNK and adhered to a card stock base. ( Any die cut letters or shapes could be used.) These were then covered with a strip of shiny heating/air conditioning tape that you can get at Home Depot, or other home improvement store or sometimes at your local dollar store. I brayered the tape with a soft rubber brayer and outlined the letters with a paper stump. (This is an adaptation of a technique that Tim Holtz used on one of his DVD's, and of techniques from Ten Seconds Studio.) I textured several pieces of the tape with Ten Seconds Studio's metal tools and applied them to the base. Acrylic paint was used to give the tape an antique appearance. The image is stamped on glossy card stock and coloured with markers (applied with a paint brush), chalk and distress ink. Screw brads compliment the metal frame. This technique is a great way to get wonderful metal effects without the extra weight of actual metal.

Supplies used- stamp Oxford Impressions, metal tape, Ten Seconds Studio metal tools, KNK, waterbased markers, chalk, distress ink, glossy card stock and regular card stock, metal screw brads.

Rosemary

Smoosh background cards

A while ago, I had been playing with the Memories Mists as backgrounds, as shown in Elaine Barr's blog here The backgrounds involve 2 pieces of glossy card stock, sprayed heavily with the Memories mist, smooshed together, then pulled apart. This gives some really interesting effects as shown in Elaine's blog. I took it one step further and while the pieces were still really wet, touched certain spots together and it gave me an encaustic wax effect.

These made such interesting backgrounds that I was reluctant to cover them up, so they sat unused. Today, I wondered what they would be like as backgrounds for very nostalgic images, instead of the strong graphic images you would expect to use with them.

This card uses an image from Paperbag Studios as the focus.

This young boy is from Oxford Impressions.

This stamp is also from Oxford Impressions.

I hope you enjoyed the cards and will give the technique a try. It is loads of fun, but be warned- wear old clothes as it can be a little messy.

Supplies used- Memories Mists in assorted colours, Stamps from Oxford Impressions and Paperbag Studios, glossy card stock, various coloured cs , vellum, chalks and markers for colouring stamped images.

Rosemary

Another tortoiseshell card

Another card using the Faux Tortoiseshell technique. This one is a little different as I added some gold Adirondack paint dabber as well as the Tintz. I really like the effect and love this image from Suzanne's new Family Man plate.

Supplies used- Stamp by Oxford Impressions, Walnut Ink Tintz, Adirondack gold paint dabber, clear embossing powder, various dye markers, Memories black ink, Palette burnt umber ink, various papers, distress inks, brads.

Rosemary

Faux Tortoiseshell Frames

I had been experimenting with making a pawprint frame with my KNK, following the instructions shared on Sandy's Blog http://www.sandymccauley.blogspot.com/ and by Ducky from the KNK yahoo group http://www.tricksntips.com/ and wanted a way to make my test cut usable. Using some of the Walnut Ink Tintz and clear embossing powder, I found a way to make it look like Faux Tortoiseshell. I dabbed on the rust and walnut colours randomly, some lighter, some darker. I applied versamark over the entire thing, and embossed with clear embossing powder. This made the colours really pop and gave it the faux tortoiseshell effect.

Supplies used- KNK Element, white cs, Walnut Ink Tintz, clear embossing powder, stamp by Lost Coast Designs, Copic markers, Burnt Umber Pallette ink, various distress inks, cutter file by me

Rosemary

Mesh Card

As a craft supplies collector, I also have 2 electronic die cut machines- a Craft Robo and a KNK Element. Since acquiring the KNK, my CR doesn't see much action. This card is from a file shared on UKScrappers by AndiDee. It is a complex file but cuts very well. I converted it to use in the KNK cutter. Various types of ink were used to highlight the individual animals.

Supplies used- KNK , file from AndiDee at UKScrappers, various inks and paint.

Rosemary

Playing with textures

Suzanne at Oxford Impressions had sent me some wonderful new images to play with and I thought they would be perfect to use with a technique I saw on Annette's blog. http://goannafive.blogspot.com/ . My version of the technique uses torn pieces of cardstock that have been run through the cuttlebug folders to get the texture, glued to a base, then painted to pull it all together. I love the textural effect and the masculine feel that I was able to get.

Supplies used- Oxford Impressions rubber stamps, Cuttlebug Folders, Wizard, Golden acrylics and glazes, gel medium, gold adirondack paint dabber.

Rosemary