Thursday, July 30, 2009

Inks

This week has been a bit busy, so I apologize for not posting sooner.
I have had a few ladies from my card clubs ask me about inks. There seems to be a little confusion over what ink works with what. So, I have made a little outline; hopefully this will help!
Dye Inks: (classic-SU) This ink is quick drying and works well on all paper types. When a dye ink is stamped on paper, the paper absorbs the ink and the ink stains the paper. Dye inks can fade over time, except archival dye inks, which are permanent and resist fading.
Pigment Inks: (craft-SU) This ink is thick and slow drying, making it ideal for embossing. Pigment inks generally comes in more vivid colors than dye inks. Pigment inks will not dry on glossy surfaces, unless they are embossed or sprayed with a fixative. Pigment inks dry on the top surface of the paper, and are not absorbed.
Solvent-based Ink: (Staz-On) Solvent-based inks are designed for non-porous and semi-porous surfaces (metal, shrink plastic, acrylic, glass, tile, wood, etc.) Solvent-based inks are permanent and resist water. This is an excellent ink to use when using watercolors.
Hybrid Inks: Hybrid inks combine the features of both dye ink and pigment ink. This type of ink has the intensity of a pigment ink, but dries quickly like a dye ink.
I hope this has helped.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Watercolor Paper & Crayons

This was our other card for card club this month. The flower pot stamp for the Bloomin' Beautiful stamp set, was inked with jet black Staz-On solvent ink and stamped onto a piece of water color paper. We used the water color crayons to color the flowers, pot, bee and shadow around the pot. The watercolor paper was then matted onto a piece of So Saffron cardstock. This was then matted onto a piece of basic gray cardstock. Very vanilla grosgrain ribbon was tied into a simple knot and wrapped around a piece of paper from the Nouveau Chic designer series paper. The card base is Sage Shadow. To give the bee some height over the flowers, the bee was adhered to the card with a pop-dot. (We only use Stampin' Up! supplies for card club.)

Floating Watercolor Technique

This card was fun to create and a joy to reproduce for Card club this month. The stamp set used is Embrace Life. To create the trio of flowers, the center flower is stamped first with white craft ink onto white shimmer paper, then masked when stamping the other flowers. White embossing powder is sprinkled onto the shimmer card stock and heat set (embossed). The shimmer cardstock is then spritz with water causing the cardstock to curl. The flowers are 'painted' using an aqua painter as the brush, and drops of re-inker as the paint. Set the wet cardstock aside so it can dry. The card base is pretty in pink, and stamped with the Frech Filigree background stamp, in pretty in pink classic ink. When the flowers are dry, cut them out. Layer the flowers onto a piece of white cardstock, matted onto soft suede cardstock. Pink taffeta ribbon is tied around the cardstock. A brown flower button is tied onto the knot of the pink ribbon. The matted cardstock is again matted onto melon mambo cardstock. (we only use Stampin' Up! supplies for card club.)

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Altered Mini Clip Board

I wanted to make a hand-made gift for a girlfriend who helped me out. So, I decided to alter a clip board. I loved the color combination that Stampin' Up! put together when they made this textured designer series paper, Parisian Breeze Specialty paper. I didn't have a picture to matt to include on the layout, so I stamped a piece of card stock with a greeting. I embossed true friends in chocolate brown, and the flourish is embossed in vanilla. I then stamped two birds in light blue. I had some different textured flowers and half pearls, so I added those. (Two of my favorite embellishments are ribbon and buttons.)
I really liked this altered clip board so much, that I made one for myself. For those of you who don't know me, making two of a project is unheard of for me. I always make an extra card, but I only make one project.
My friend and I have our altered clip boards proudly displayed in our homes. Whenever I see it, I am always reminded of her generosity and friendship, thank you Anne.

Holiday Craft Fair Card

Last year, I was a crafter at two different Christmas craft fairs. For the craft fairs, I made several different cards for the holidays and a few other occasions. I had so much fun making cards, and meeting people, that I have decided to do it again! (I will let you know where and when.) This was one of my favorite cards from last year. The 'fur' trim on the coat and boots I flocked. So when you run your finger over these areas, it feels like crushed velvet. Pretty neat, huh? The stamp is from Stamping Bella and the patterned cardstock is from Basic Grey. I used a blender pen to 'color' the coat and boots.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Haley's Birthday Cake


I made this cake for my grand-daughter's 3rd birthday. She picked the theme, and the location of Tinker Bell. She also helped with the finishing touch of adding edible glitter. I think that she really liked it! (the three picks at the top of the cake are candles on a stick)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

June Card Club Cards


I have two card clubs that meet at my home each month. We make 2-3 cards/projects each month, and we only use Stampin' Up! products. For the June Card Club, we made two cards and the match box using the Big Shot. For our first card, we learned two-step stamping, using the Soft Summer stamp set. The initial stamped image is stamped with Jet Black Staz-On. The card stock used is pale plum and always artichoke. The stamped white card stock is matted on basic black card stock. For the second card, we learned heat embossing, using the Grand Soiree stamp set off the dormant list. The card stock is pink pirouette and Bella Rose designer series paper. The chandelier is stamped in chocolate chip craft and embossed with clear embossing powder. For our club project, we made the match box using the Big Shot. We filled our match boxes with four chocolate "treasures". :} The "homework challenge" is an altered frappuccino bottle. I encourage my club members to think outside the proverbial box.