Card Patterns Sketch 150

Here is my entry for the Card Patterns Sketch Challenge #150. Supplies as follows:
Patterned Paper: Hobby Lobby The Paper Studio
Maroon Cardstock: Stampin' Up
Stamp and Heart Rhinestones: Hero Arts
Stamping Ink: Clearsnap Colorbox Fluid Chalk
Embossing Folder: Tim Holtz for Sizzix
Ribbon: Unknown

I think this card qualifies for CAS status! I would like to try inking the heart with a glimmery ink like Brilliance to jazz up the heart. Here is the link to the challenge sketch at the Card Patterns website: http://cardpatterns.blogspot.com/2012/01/sketch-150.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FaYJY+%28CardPatterns%29

Here are the same materials making a portrait oriented card. I changed the stamp to one from Impression Obsession and heat embossed in gold. I had selected this image for the first card, but it was too large. I also added a die cut heart mounted on chipboard for the central image.

Hybrid Card

This little card is very simple to make. I took the idea from a Hero Arts file (you can see the original card here: http://www.heroarts.com/cardmaking/cardIdea.cfm?cardID=4273&catID=6) and altered it by using a clip art frame rather than a stamped frame, which I didn't have. The clip art I found just by using a search on my Microsoft Word clip art feature, so I assume it is freeware. I printed out two copies and sized them for my card. One I used as a backdrop on the card--the other I stamped with Hero Arts Magical Stamp in Yellow Citrus chalk ink by Clearsnap. I then cut out the interior of the stamped image, omitting any black lines, and adhered it to the frame on the card. The rest of the card are Hero Arts hearts stamped with black dye ink onto various printed papers and popped up onto the background. Very simple! I also found a pretty pink paper with a delicate background. My plan is to print frames onto this background paper, cut out the interiors, and use it as a backdrop for the hearts, rather than stamping the background.

Crazy Quilt Card

I have to say I am crazy about crazy quilts! I love all the velvet and satin mix and match dressed up with ribbon and decorative stitching. I hoped to re-create that look with this card. The easiest thing to do when making a card like this is to cut a background or template that is the exact size of the layer you want to attach to your card, then arrange your elements to fit that template. I am a firm believer in the "whack and sew" method so this card illustrates the "whack and paste" method! I just kept moving papers around until I liked the look and then adhered them in place until the background template was covered. I could then trim around the edges to the exact size I needed. I think this combination of Anna Griffin papers was perfect. I added a little stamping to the bottom of the card and then used a translucent ribbon to make a sheer veil for the sentiment. I actually did some machine sewing on this card, but you could achieve the same look using faux stitching with a fine line pen.

Altered Valentine Candy Box

Yesterday a few friends and I got together to make this cute little altered Valentine Heart Box. I have been saving these candy boxes for years. Every year my husband and I buy each other a box of chocolates like this. Of course, I eat most of the chocolate! My favorite is Russell Stover. The actual sample you see in the picture above I created a few years ago, and I decided it was the perfect time to play with the candy boxes. After having a delicious lunch of salad and heart shaped desserts, we used a variety of papers--the old Anna Griffin roses and cherubs are perfect, although we used some other light pinks as well, and stamping to decorate the heart shaped tops of the boxes. I have been collecting Valentine stamps for years, and a couple of the ladies brought their favorite Valentine stamps, too. We brightened up the stamping with colored pencils and made ribbon embellished hearts to decorate the tops of the boxes. Our sugar fix kept us going, and the results were lovely. I hope everyone gets to finish the insides of the boxes as well. I have a few new ideas for embellishing the inside with ribbon decorated styrofoam balls substituting for the chocolate. I think they will look as delicious as the chocolate candy tastes!

Here is a list of a few of the stamps you see on this box. Some are surely discontinued but may likely be found on e-bay. A note here: If you find a stamp you love, buy it! Like that beautiful dress in the store, it will be gone if you come back later to get it!
Inkadinkado damask heart: 96127
Inkadinkado love heart: 96126
Impression Obsession Hydrangea Ribbon by Alesa Baker: E6006
Hampton Art Chocolat: 1955
DeNami swans: no number
Hero Arts Heart Flower blossoms: f4489
Hero Arts Valentine ribbon set: LL075

Little Cupid Tag

Last week I had fun with a friend making cute little flowers from Sticky Back Canvas. I got the idea for this tag from the Ranger Ink Project files--my flowers turned out a little small so I had to use a #5 tag rather than a #8. We cut the flowers from the canvas using a Sizzix 3D flower die, then inked them with various colors of Distress Ink. I used Milled Lavender, Dusty Concord, Worn Lipstick, and maybe Spun Sugar. After we inked the canvas with the ink via the distressing tool, we spritzed with water. Wow! These inks, like Tim says, are totally reactive with water. When the water hit the ink, pow, pow, pow, the ink just "exploded" on the canvas and became very vibrant. We let the canvas dry, and then rolled the flowers, like for the pinecone die. I don't think I could buy a prettier flower, except for maybe a real rose!

Ellen Hutson LLC Hero Arts Clear Take 'n Make

This clear set from Hero Arts is called "Love Flourish", CL162. I heat embossed one of the swirls with clear ink and clear powder on a white tag, then sponged Worn Lipstick ink over the tag. Look how the swirl pops! I then die cut a heart from the bottom of the tag and inserted another swirl, actually stamped with Stazon on acetate and put it behind the die cut heart. Stazon ink is great for stamping on plastic or glass. I then stamped "love" from the set with Stazon all over a piece of acetate the size of the tag and adhered it to the front of the tag with a Tim Holtz plaque. The tag was made into a little "tag card" with a Sizzix embossed piece of black cardstock painted with Smooch paint. I finally added a little chipboard heart die cut and covered with Basic Grey paper and stamped with the swirl. Thanks for looking!

Thank You Kristina Werner

I saw a fabulous card by Kristina Werner on her Make a Card Monday--you can see the original post here: http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?cat=11
Anyway, she used a letter stamp. I tried to make her card, but since I didn't have a solid letter stamp like she used, I had a lot of trouble. I tried several pattern letter stamps, but they just weren't the same--so I changed stamps. I used a solid heart from Rubber Stampede. I used Colorbox Fluid Chalk ink in Warm Violet. This ink is similar to a pigment ink, but it dries a little faster. One of the advantages of this ink is that you can stamp it once to get a full color image, then you can stamp again without re-inking to get a "shadow" image. You can totally see the effect on the sample. These inks are beautiful and they also usually clean up with just a baby wipe. They do tend to stain stamps, however, especially clear stamps. Oh, back to the card--I used an "I like" altered from an older Hero Arts clear set--remember the Clear Design letter stamps they had a few years ago? I altered it by cutting off the "u" at the end of the phrase and just using the "I like". Since I didn't have a letter "u" I liked, I just die cut the letters "you" from an older QuicKutz set I had. I think it works! Thank you, Kristina Werner, for this idea!

I'm making Valentines!

I remembered an idea I got a long time ago from Hero Arts about using a set of their heart stamps that I had bought. I really liked the idea, and the original is still up on the Hero Arts website. You can see the original idea here: http://www.heroarts.com/cardmaking/cardIdea.cfm?cardID=498&catID=6
I modified the idea by adding an additional image and clipping it on with a heart shaped paper clip. But the main thing is I had an e=mail from a stamping buddy who was asking me about the different inks I used, and I thought that I might begin a series of articles on my blog talking about some of my favorite inks. This particular card is made with Clearsnap Colorbox pigment inks, some of my favorite inks. I own a lot of shades, and I recently invested in re-inkers for all of my colors. The pads will last a lifetime if cared for and the re-inkers are a good idea to extend the life of the inkpad. This ink was perfect for the stamps I used for this card, mainly because the inks are thick and rich, giving good coverage to the massive rubber on each stamp. I used Thistle, Rosebud, Magenta, and Orchid on this card, each color corresponding to one of the stamps in the set. That way, I didn't have to clean my stamps between use, just using the one color per stamp and leaving them face up while I worked on the set of cards. When I did finish all my cards, the ink cleans easily off the stamps with baby wipes or even just a wet paper towel. The important thing to remember, however, is that these pigment inks must be heat set or embossed. I did not want to emboss, so after I finished stamping each card, I just held my heat gun over the inks for a minute or so until they had "set" or completely dried. I could also have just let them sit overnight to completely dry. Because this Clearsnap Colorbox pigment ink is so heavy and rich, it does need extra drying time, so it is not a good choice if you want "instant dry". These pigment inks are lightfast, colorfast, and archival so you can be assured they will stay vibrant for many years and are even safe for scrapbooking and other archival purposes. Pigment inks are usually marketed with clear tops, and "WYSIWYG" regarding color. In other words, the color you see through the clear top of the ink pad is the color that will land on your stamping project. Pigment inks, unlike dye inks, stay on top of the surface of the paper, unlike dye inks which bleed into the paper. That's what makes the color so rich and beautiful and also why you must heat set them or let them dry thoroughly.

Cute little Valentine mailbox

This cute little Valentine mailbox was fun to make. I used Anna Griffin paper and some decorative flowers. The mailbox is more than 12" around so I had to join two sheets of identical paper. Please, no remarks about my stripes not lining up! I think it gives it "character"! Any little mistakes along the flag pivot are covered up by the flowers! I used a large xyron to adhere the patterned paper around the body of the mailbox (measure twice, cut once!) and used Perfect Paper Adhesive to attach paper to the mailbox door. I did not sand anything! The Perfect Paper Adhesive adhered the best. The xyron wants to lift up along the bottom of the mailbox. Thank you, Charlie, for the wonderful little mailbox you gave me last year! It served as my "model".

Embellished Hearts

Look at these cute hearts! I have always enjoyed embellishing die cut hearts for Valentine's Day, but I really like these! I found the idea on the Hero Arts blog in the Flicker files and altered the idea to suit my style. They were so fun to make! Basically I stamped heart and/or pattern images, almost all Hero Arts, and then cut various size circles with my punches. I then applied the circles to a heart die cut, raising some of the images up and overlapping them. I then added various embellishments like brads, flowers and glitter flourishes. You can see the original card on the Hero blog flicker group here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robinsue/6631599399/in/pool-647078@N25/

Hello There!

With a little help from Hero Arts I have a cute little Hello! for you. The lace circle with journaling lines is from CL553 Hello There clear set. I stamped it twice, once onto a mocha layering paper and then onto some pink Bazzill cardstock, both with Versamark and heat embossed with white embossing powder. The journaling center was punched from the pink cardstock and then centered on top of the image stamped on the mocha paper. I stamped the sentiment with an old SU ink called Caramel (do they still make that--it's like one of my favorite inks)and then placed over the decorative circle with pop dots. I used a selection of flowers with Viva Decor pearl centers as accents. I'm really liking this pink/brown color combo!