Reused Paper Towel

 

I like to make backgrounds with ink smooshing, sprays, watercolor, Lindy's Magicals, Brushos, you name it.  If it involves pigment and water, I love to play with it.  That means I use a lot of water and paper towels to blot up puddling on the background in progress or wipe up the mat.  Sometimes when I am done I think the towel looks pretty cool and that I might want to do something with it "some day," so I toss it in a tray.  The Die Cut Divas September theme is "Re-cycle, Re-use, Re-Purpose."  If ever there was a sign to actually do something with one of my paper towels, this is it, so I went through my pile and selected this one.

I brushed matte gel medium on a piece of 110lb. white cardstock and carefully laid the paper towel on it.  I smoothed it a little, but not too much.  I realized too late that the gel reactivated some of the ink making the colors bleed a little. Next time I will use two sided adhesive paper.  Once the paper was dry I moved a 4.25x5.50 inch window around to figure out the parts that appealed to me and cut three full sized card panels and had a little leftover for something else.  Now to pick one and make it into a card.

First I lightly brushed distress ink cubes in Chipped Sapphire and Dusty Concord across the "wrinkles" which gave it a reversed batik effect.  Then, like I often do, I tried to stamp some script in Hickory Smoke Archival ink randomly along the left edge and discovered that the image didn't transfer well.  I don't know if it was the texture of the paper towel (Viva) or the gel medium.  Oh well, on to the next step.  

I found a new to me challenge, Paper Rocks Scissors, which asks you to use paper and or scissors to create any kind of project.  Paper is a given when you make cards, although I am not sure how many people use inky paper towels, so I focused on using scissors.  If you have never used rub-ons, they come on clear sheets with many images per sheet.  You use scissors to cut around the parts you want on your project, peel off the paper backing, lay the image where you want it, rub with a bone folder, finger nail. or whatever and then carefully peel back the clear sheet.   As you peel, if you see a part that hasn't transferred you can stop, put the plastic back down and rub some more unless you are going for a distressed look.  The flowers and butterfly from Aall & Create were white and faded into the background, so I colored them with a pink Prismacolor pencil to help them stand out.  Still some of the darker blue around the flowers threatened to overwhelm them, so I used a white Prismacolor to tone it down.

I used a die from Paper Rose to cut happy birthday three times and stacked them.  Lastly I trimmed the background to 4x5.25, ran an ink pad along the edge and attached it to a card base.  This is a closer look at the texture provided by the paper towel.

I plan to also enter this card in the Addicted to Stamps and More "Make Your Mark,"  Triple B (Birds, Blooms, and Butterflies), and Seize the Birthday "Anything Goes" challenges.  Thank You for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

 

Happy Purr-thday

 

I needed a birthday card, so I checked the Seize the Birthday Challenge.  The topping theme is Funny/Pun-ny, or if you that is not your style, Anything Birthday Goes.  I don't typically buy stamps with puns, but as a proud crazy cat lady, I do have a considerable inventory of cat stamps and some of them have puns like "pawsome" or "purrfect."  That meant I would be making a cat card (surprise!) and entering it in the Show Us Your Pussycats Challenge.  I selected a sentiment from the Black Cat Love set from Impression Obsession.  I also have a number of cat dies, so I checked the Die Cut Divas and they are looking for white on white with a splash of color which is one of my favorite styles.  I have several dies that cut windows which either include a cat or can have a cat added to them.  I could cut one out in white and back it with part of a colored background to show through.  That would make a clean and simple card which I could enter in the Simply Clean and Simple challenge.  So which die should I use?  I checked Time Out Challenges which is currently a pick two.  The choices are monochrome, geometric, floral, stitching (real or faux), birthday, and CAS.  I had birthday and CAS covered, but what if I used squares in my layout and put little cats cut using one of my favorite cat dies simply called Cat Set from Impression Obsession in them?  That would add a geometric element to my card.  Okay, cats in boxes it would be!  I had my concept, time to get to work.

I cut nine squares from 110 lb white card stock using Essential Squares from Ellen Hutson to get frames which I stacked to make three "boxes."  I used the same die to cut three from a background from my stash which I had painted with Lindy's Magicals using a mixture of Hydrangea Blue and a touch of Sweet Velvet Purple from the Victorian Bouquet set.  That gave me three blue frames to use on another project and three blue squares that fit perfectly in the white frames.  I arranged the frames, placing shims under the outer corners of the middle square to keep it level.  I had stacked three die cuts for each frame to provide ledges for cats to sit or stand on, so I picked three of the six that the die cuts and settled them in their boxes.  I stamped the word "Meow" for a greeting on the front.  Inside I stamped a birthday pun and framed it with two cats cut from the blue background.  I now have a birthday card ready for one of the many feline aficionados in my life.

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Playing With Water, Magicals, and a 20+ Year Old Embossing Folder

 

The theme this week for the Just Us Girls Challenge is water which can include techniques using water.  It has been a while since I played with Lindy's Magicals and embossing folders, a technique which would also would allow me to enter the Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge with an optional twist of "Tie It Up.  I grabbed a few folders including this one by Lifestyle Crafts that I bought at MJ Designs which closed in 2003.  Now I have some things in my stash that I have had for decades and still use regularly, but this folder is not one of them.  I cannot remember the last time I used it which makes it a candidate for the Neglected Stuff Challenge.  

This folder normally creates a raised pattern similar to a chain link fence.  I did not want that.  I wanted the "fence" to be pushed down into the paper creating "valleys" surrounded by "mountains" resembling pillows.  This meant I had to use the folder with the logo facing down on the mat and the fold away from me, so when I opened it the logo side was closest to me.  I put my watercolor paper on that side closest to me aka the "flat" side.  I used a fan brush to sprinkle powders from the Lindy's Magicals Nuneka's Outer Space set on the paper and misted it with water until it started moving.  I then carefully folded the "bumpy" side over the wet paper and ran it through my embossing machine.  In other words I used the folder upside down with the logo facing down and not visible, so the panel ended up resembling snake skin thanks to the colors I used.  It reminds me of the the cover of Alice Cooper's album, "Billion Dollar Baby."  

I didn't want to cover much of the background, so I decided to use a Simon Says Stamp brand die to cut sentiment as the focal point for the Word Power Challenge and the Cut It Up Challenge to use a sentiment.  I cut the word three times and stacked them for dimension and backed it with the shadow in gold mirror cardstock to help it stand out from the background.  To grab a little more attention and fit the Can You Handle the Pressure Challenge twist, I backed the T with an accent of gold thread that I bought a few years ago, used twice, and forgot about.  You could call that thread neglected.  I think I will use it more now that I found it.  I swiped a Rustic Wilderness Distress Oxide pad along the edge of the background to ground it before attaching it to a card base.  I finished the card off off with a few sparkles.

I made a few other backgrounds with other embossing folders because I can't resist trying different combinations and techniques while I have everything out.  You may see some of those in future posts.  In the meantime, thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Dragonfly Spring

 

I have been playing with mixed media lately inspired by videos and classes by Tiffany Solorio.  She sometimes prints out a sheet called 20 Days of Play which is a series of prompts to experiment with.  The goal is not to make a card but to just play and expand your techniques to use on future projects like this one.  This card includes prompts to brayer ink or paint (day 4) and to apply texture paste on top of ink without sealing it first (day 7).

I started by applying Wilted Violet, Chipped Sapphire, and Shaded Lilac Distress Oxide inks with a two inch brayer on to Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  Next I added texture by randomly stamping using the Sacred Spells stamp by Lavinia, cross hatch stamp from the Timeless Textures set by Stampin' Up, and parts a very old flourish stamp from Stampin' Up and Black Soot archival ink.  Then I lightly brushed Hero Arts White Unicorn Pigment ink through parts of the Feathered Leaf stencil from Lavinia.   You can see some of it below the dragon fly's tail and in the upper left corner.  I then applied texture paste through parts of the BoHo Glam stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.  Because the ink is water reactive it bled through the texture paste.  Lastly I masked off the stenciling with copy paper and whacked my white Posca paint pen with a ruler to splatter white paint on the background.  To finish the background I swiped Dusty Concord Distress Oxide ink along the edges and attached it to a card base.  Now for the focal point.

I used Simon Says Stamp's Tattered Leaves die to cut the vine from mixed media paper and glued only the stem and stem ends of the leaves to the background, so I could curl the tips of the leaves upward for added interest.  For the dragonfly I used the Etched Dragonfly die by Simon Says Stamp to cut the body from mixed media paper and the wings from Platinum velum from Grafix, which has a shimmer finish.  I attached the wings to the body and glued only the body to the background so the wings would pop up.  For the sentiment I swiped Seedless Preserves Distress Ink along the edges of one from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology Small Talk pad. 

I  plan to enter this card in the Crazy is Our Fame - Stencils are Our Game challenge using the optional theme of Vines-Vinery, Die Cut Divas Spring is Coming Challenge, Mix It Up challenge using an optional die cut, and A Place to Start Optional Twist: No Squares challenge.  Why not head over to these challenges and be inspired?

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Fall Leaves in Shades of Orange

It is getting to be fall here.  The heat has broken but don't put away your summer clothes.  You dress in layers because it can be chilly in the morning but much warmer by lunchtime making you regret wearing that heavy sweater you left the house in.  The leaves on a few trees are just starting to turn and folks are putting up Halloween decorations.  The theme for the Sisterhood of Crafters challenge is fall, the Cut It Up challenge wants to see embellishments, and the AAA Birthday challenge wants to see Ombre shades.  I am also playing the Seize the Birthday. A Place to Start, and Die Cut Divas anything goes games.  I should mention that the optional twist for A Place to Start is Pumpkins which are a fall theme, but I am not playing that option.  

I started by using the Simon Says Stamp Vine Background die and copper foil paper to cut an outline of leaves and glued it to a panel of Vanilla card stock.  Next I put a few dabs of red and yellow acrylic paint on different ends of my gel press and brayed the paint with the goal of creating a blend of color from yellow orange to red orange and then lifted the print on heavy weight printer paper.  I used the same Simon Says Stamp die to cut the print and used the leaf pieces to fill in the outline.  I used dies from Gina K Designs' Lace Flowers set first to cut three "birthdays," one in copper foil and two in white cardstock which I stacked and then the shadow from dark green cardstock.  I stamped the happy belated sentiment from the same set and embossed it in copper.  I glued everything on a dark green panel and glued that to a Vanilla card base. I finished the card off with some green sparkles.

The thing about the Vine Background die is that you end up with a lot of extra pieces.  I had an orange background, a copper background, an orange outline, and of course, some copper leaves left, so I made another card:

 

 

I will figure out what to do with the rest of the pieces later.  In the meantime why don't y'all go by the challenges above to check out the other entries and perhaps be inspired to enter yourself.  Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Snowflake in a Night Sky

 

Viewed straight on:

Viewed when you tip it in the light:

I am in well into Christmas card making madness.  Snowflakes are one for my favorite design elements, and of course this Freshly Made Sketch screamed snowflake to me.

I have been playing with embossing folders and ink lately, so I went straight to my favorite snowflake embossing folder, Snowflake Swirls by Darice, for the background.  I started with black watercolor paper, embossed it and sprayed it with Juniper Berry mica spray by Tim Holtz, and Balmy Night shimmer spray by Dylusions plus water and let it dry naturally.  Once it was totally dry I embossed it again because all that ink and water flattened the design a bit.  Next I used a brayer to apply metallic pigment ink from Color Box to bring out the snowflakes and swirls. 

For the snowflake I used the Sizzix 3D Impresslits Snowflake folder by Tim Holtz  to cut one from silver and one from white 110 lb white cardstock and stacked them.  I topped it with two snowflakes cut using the Beautiful Blizzard die from Stampin' Up which I stacked and embellished it with a blue sparkle.  I heat embossed a sentiment from the Very Merry Christmas stamp set by Close to My Heart and edged the strip with more of the Color Box silver metallic ink.  I finished the card with some bitty sparkles from Close to My Heart in the centers of the background snowflakes.

I addition to the Freshly Made Sketches challenge, I plan to enter this card in the Cut It Up Add Embellishments,  Can You Handle the Pressure Anything Goes With A Twist Of Fall (optional), and BYSH (Build Your Stash Holiday) Cardmakers Falling for the Holidays 2025 Linky Party challenges.  Why not check out the other entries in these challenges and maybe be inspired to enter yourself? 

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi

Mooch at Peace

 

This card was inspired by this one made by Kath Stewart.  It also inspired me to order the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Christmastime 2 stamp set which was part of the 2019 release.  Although I have used other stamps in the set, this it the first time I have used the stamp that made me want to buy the set to begin with.  Six years!  How could I let that happen?!

I started by spraying Villainous Potion and Uncharted Mariner Distress sprays and water on watercolor paper and let it dry naturally.  Then I stamped and embossed the sentiment in gold and while I had everything out I gilded the edges of the panel with gold.  Now it was time to stamp Mooch from Lavinia Stamps in black Versafine ink and clear heat emboss him.  Yes, his name is Mooch.  Lavinia sells individual stamps and gives names to the fairies and animals depicted.  I bought him Christmas 2020 and used him quite a bit for a while, but lately I have been using cat die cuts and he has languished in my stamp drawer for a couple of years.  I stamped the holly from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Stamptember 2018 set with Harbor ink, a dark teal from Close to My Heart.  The clear embossing resisted the ink, so it looks like the holly is behind him.  I used gray Prismacolors to create a shadow to ground him.  Once I had the sentiments, Mooch, and the holly in place, I knew where to put the stars using a Tim Holtz Sparkle stencil and transparent matte texture paste.  I had almost forgotten about texture paste until I broke it out for my Abigayil and Her Kittens card last month.  Amazingly it was still spreadable after sitting for a few years.  I had placed a piece of Press and Seal plastic wrap over the the jar before screwing the top on and it really did work to keep the paste from drying out.  The last step before attaching the panel to a card base was to use a Jelly Roll #700 sparkle pen in the center of the stars and along Mooch's head and left side to look like reflected starlight.  This is what the card looks like if you tip it towards light.

Working on this card reintroduced me to some older stamp and and other products that have been neglected, so I am entering it in the Shopping Our Stash "The Cat is in the Bag" and The Neglected Stuff challenges.  I also am entering it in the Jingle Belles "Baby It's GOLD Outside,"  Crazy is Our Fame, Stencils are Our Game (optional theme Nature), Addicted to Stamps and More "Make Your Mark," and Show Us Your Pussycats challenges.

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time, Hansi