Great Anna Griffin Giveaway!

Head over to this site:    http://northridgepublishing.com/2013/10/friday-giveaway-anna-griffin/
For a chance to win an awesome Anna G. Holiday a Card Kit!  It is gorgeous!

Halloween Cards with Graphics 45 Steampunk Line

About mid-September, I started to get an itch for fall and its holidays.  So I dug out a gift card I had yet to spend and headed off to the only paper crafting store left in  Seattle - Impress Stamps at the UVillage.  It was early, but they had gotten in some of the Graphics 45 Steampunk Halloween collection and I snagged several wonderful sheets.  I just love everything this company does - the colors are so rich and yummy!

One of the 12x12 sheets was actually a set of six, 4x6 "cards" and I wanted to do a set of cards with them.  I am not into the gory and violent side of Halloween - and I find this line to be a very sophisticated take, so it was really fun to work with!  I also played around with making my own 3-D embellishments, mostly using Cricut images from several Halloween cartridges.  I am still experimenting, but love making my own embellishments!  Mostly, though, I kept them simple, because I really loved the cards themselves and wanted to highlight them, not hide them under a bunch of layers and embellishments.

So, here is the set of 6 cards. I made these based on the cards "toppers" from this one sheet, as well as a couple other sheets from this line and and a couple others as well. There is a more complete list of supplies at the end of this post. I really had a blast playing around with these!

 

I love the Dazzles border down the left side!

 

It's hard to tell here, but I used glitter and other gel pens to highlight her hat, and Glossy Accents to cover the pendant at her neck.

 

The skeleton is stamped and heat embossed in white on black cardstock, then (somewhat) fussy-cut.  I love the little Dazzles spider hanging down from the web backing the potion embellishment!

 

I need to learn to take better photos - you can hardly see the Glossy Accents on the spiderweb, which really does make it stand out.  Also, the butterfly is actually a colored-in Dazzle, cut out and layered on top of the one printed on the card (I just matched the colors!)

 

Both the web in the corner and the cauldron embellishment come from Cricut images; the latter was layered and colored with micro-glitter.

 

Another Cricut image on the bottom; the corner piece was a miscellaneous embellishment from My Mind's Eye.  The ribbon was from a Recollections package.

 

 

Let's see, I used:

 

Graphics 45 Steampunk Halloween Collection as the card toppers and for the layering papers I used: Martha Stewart Halloween 6x6 mat pad, a 12x12 sheet of Pebbles (Tricks and Treats Collection), and some pages from the October section of Recollections' All Seasons 12x12 paper pad (from last year).

 

Most of the embellishments came from Cricut images (sorry, I didn't keep track of what came from where); also used: Jolee's Boutique, My Mind's Eye, Recollections, and Hot Off the Press (HOTP) Dazzles (can you tells I love those?!)

 

So now I am almost done with Halloween and getting ready to get out all the winter and Christmas stuff!  I had a LOT left from last year and have collected some things over the past year to add to it.  I see new lines coming out and wish I could find a way to afford another shopping trip.  Instead, I am entering lots of giveaways on blogs and FaceBook pages of my favorite brands and sites.  Who knows, maybe I'll win something!

 

Happy Haunting All!

 



Mother's Day Cards

How I Made My Mother's Day Cards

Dedicated to my Mom, who emailed me to say she was still trying to figure out how I made these cards!  Plus, she has also commented that I rarely post here - and she is right - so here goes...

I have been having fun playing around with a set from Hot Off the Press (HOTP).  I have to admit, HTOP is definitely a favorite.  Great papers, beautiful die-cuts, and my obsession - Dazzles!  I just love the many ways to use them, including the technique I used for the cards I made for my Mom and Gram for Mother's Day this year. 

Here's the supply list (for both cards):

From HOTP (I got these in a set):

• Fresh Cut Paper Pack
• Beauty & Blossoms Dazzles
• Foil Fresh Cut Tags & Labels

Scor-Tape, double-sided adhesive (I use 6"x6" sheets)
White cardstock
Crystal Glitter Ritz, transparent micro-fine glitter - Warm Highlight
Marvy Le Plume II markers and blender pens
Silver line stickers (I got mine as part of a card topper set from Flower Soft)
Foam squares
Permanent adhesive dot roller
Powder Puff Chalking Ink (I used Maraschino Cherry)
Card stock base

[NOTE: There are other marker and blender sets that will work with this technique - test it out first to be sure it will blend correctly.]

Here's how I did it:

The card base is basic, pastel cardstock; I used an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet, scored and folded in half.  The fronts were then covered with some of the paper with a more muted pattern.   Then I layered a coordinating piece of more vivid paper; on one card horizontally with only top and bottom borders, and on the other a square with a border all around.  A third layer is added in a contrasting color with muted pattern, as shown in each.  I inked the edges of each layering piece lightly with the chalking ink before adhering.  The silver line tape was added as outline, as shown, on each.

The embellishments were the fun part for me; since I learned this technique, I have been using it everywhere!  Start by selecting the Dazzle image you want to use (or stamp, because you can also use this technique with stamps) and cut a piece of white cardstock large enough to accommodate the image with some border all around.  I cut out around my images in the end, but you don't have to.

The Scor-Tape sheets are double-sided tape - really sticky!  Cut the same size piece out of the sheet and, removing one side of the tape, stick it to the white cardstock.  [NOTE:  It will be easier if you get all your supplies ready for this next part BEFORE you remove the second side of the protective covering on the tape!]  I use a tray and old make-up brush as tools.

OK, remove the second side of the tape and then remove the Dazzle sticker from its backer sheet and CAREFULLY lay it down on the sticky tape.  Confession: I completely ruined the first one of these I tried; both things are sticky and so it is nearly impossible to lift and re-position without stretching the Dazzle out of shape.  Just GO SLOW!  Use the backing sheets that you removed from the tape to lay over the image and press down firmly to completely adhere the sticker. (It won't stick to the backing!)

Now place the sticky cardboard with the Dazzle image in the tray and pour the Glitter Ritz micro-fine glitter all over it.  Using your finger, rub the glitter into the paper until it is completely covered evenly.  Tap off the extra, then brush off the image with the brush.  Set the tray aside (you can pour the leftover glitter back in the jar - you really don't use much for this technique!), then go at it with your finger again, with pressure this time - as you burnish it, you'll notice the shine come up even more and no glitter flakes off.

Now you get to color it in!  I have been playing around with various shading techniques; with very tiny bits of color, the blending brush can then be used to make great shading effects.  [NOTE:  Use a tapping motion to color/blend the image to minimize the damage to the marker tip, instead of a sweeping or coloring motion, which leads to the glitter shredding the marker tip.]  When done, I fussy-cut the images and using foam squares, layered the images onto the card, on top of a foiled tag (from the HOTP set).

Oh, yes!  As I said, you can also use this technique with regular stamps.  Stamp the image on the white card stock BEFORE you add the double-sided tape sheet over it, add the glitter, etc.  The marker and blender pens I use work just fine to color in the image without too much bleeding, but you should test out your markers first.

Of course, I didn't invent this technique - I learned it from a YouTube video.  You would be amazed how much you can learn from people's YouTubes!  Here's the one I learned from originally (if you are impatient, the relevant part starts at about 23:17):

Scrap Made Simple Video

Stacy at ScrapMadeSimple also has a great video with variations:

Silk Glitter and Velvet Sheets

If you like this stuff , search YouTube for "Glitter Ritz" and check out all the different things people have done!

Our Crafting Spaces

Participating in an online community on the topic of organization, I answered a post about organizing craft spaces.  It was fun to hear about how other people store all their crafting supplies!  It seems we all have learned to adapt things from office supply stores, our kitchens, garages, basements, etc. to make creative craft spaces!

I have been blessed with having a separate craft room in my house, and I took probably a year or more to finally get it all organized.  I confess,  I think I enjoyed organizing it as much as I like using it!  I spent hours going through thrift stores and searching through my kitchen for possible solutions.  One of the great finds were 2 scrapbooking stores who were (unfortunately) going out of business.  I got some of my best stuff - and at almost no cost. 

I had been searching and searching for the perfect storage solution for all my gel pens - this display unit (turned on its side so the pens stayed level) has been perfect.  The pens are even organized by type!

One of my thrift store finds: someone had taken small glass pieces (as spacers) and graduating size plates - and glued them together into this stand - I love it!  I added a small bowl on the top tier...  It sits right on my desk and holds things for my current project:

I use a file storage system for my stickers, complete with hanging files, folders sorted by topic and color, and tabs to find things easier:

I raided the kitchen to find old muffin tins and spice and jelly jars; they hold brads, buttons, flowers, gemstones, ribbons - you name it!

I think we all agree - it is easier and more fun to craft when we can easily find the things we want to use!  Share your organization and storage tips!

Now - go embellish something!

Another Flower Soft Challenge!

If you are into paper crafting, and have gotten involved in any online craft communities, you have probably run into creative challenges.  I have only just begun to explore that world myself, but one of my favorite product lines, Flower Soft, runs regular ones and I have enjoyed entering!  Here's my entry for their latest one:

This is using one of their card toppers and FS product (Spring mix).  You should check out their newest holiday/winter lines!                   Visit Flower Soft Website

Now - go embellish something!

Fall Cards

Well, around here, it can be difficult to pinpoint just what "season" it is!  Yesterday it got to 90 degrees - and we are in day 49 with no measurable rain. It certainly has been beautiful!

I've been going through my stash - finding lots of stuff I have never even used - and having fun making new projects in fall colors.  Here's one of my favorites - made from foiled paper, 3-D, die-cuts.

The side flourish and corners on the sentiment tag are Dazzles; I added gems to the centers of the two 3-D embellishments, both made of foiled papers.  The papers are from Hot Off the Press' Chocolate Pack.  I'm pretty sure the foiled paper embellishments are also HOTP.

Here's another one with products from the same line:

Since this picture, I have added a sentiment "Thinking of You" from Anna Griffith's adhesive-backed sentiments line.  It turns the card to be horizontal...  Such beautiful colors!

Now - go embellish something!

Changing Seasons

Wow!  August seemed to go by QUICKLY!  Here in Seattle, we finally had our "heat wave" - getting up into the 90's - which, for here, is quite high.  Unfortunately, my craft room has no windows that open and - well, have you ever tried to use a fan around glitter?  <smile>   I tried spending time in there the first morning, but after about 10 minutes it was unbearable.  By the second day, the room had reached over 105 degrees and I had to shut down all the electrics for fear of a meltdown!

So - when the heat dissipated and I was able to resume crafting - what did I do?  I got out all my fall/winter/holiday stuff!  I happened to read a discussion thread on scrapbook.com, asking how often we clean our craft rooms.  What a great question!  I realized I had not really cleaned mine well since I had finished re-organizing it at the beginning of the year, so I got to work on that first.  As I put stuff away, I realized how much of it I wouldn't be using as I moved into the new season.  So, just like I do my clothes, I rotated!

I put away all the spring and summer papers, all the flower stamps and die cuts, the supply of butterflies I like to use on almost everything <smile>.  It was great to free up room on my immediate desk space!  Cleaning everything well felt good - and I freed up more space by putting away some things that didn't really need to be in that room at all.

Then, I got out all my fall/winter/holiday stuff:  all the snowflake punches, stamp sets, die  cuts, glitter papers (have you tried that stuff where the glitter does NOT come off?  Great!).  Found all the paper pads and loose sheets and organized those...  Then I inventoried my stashes; wow! Did I have a lot of stuff left over from last year!  I found more than a dozen kits I had never even opened, including every kind of supply you can think of: brads, ribbon, stickers, stamps, papers, die-cuts, alphas, journalling tags, glitter, distressing ink, embossing powders...<big grin>

How totally like a Christmas morning!

It was almost hard to know where to start, but I got it organized and decided to play with the beautiful fall papers and layered die-cuts I found.  I'll post more pics soon, but here is the first card I made for fall:

This was from a papercrafts kit - it got me inspired to work with fall leaves and their beautiful colors!

SO, now September is here and the pace always seems to quicken...  I hope to spend more time in my craft room over the upcoming weeks - like many of you, I am working on my stock for an upcoming holiday bazaar - they always sneak up on me!

Now, go embellish something!