Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Artist in Residence 2015-2016 for Imagine Crafts by Tsukineko

I am over the moon excited to announce that I have been selected as an Artist in Residence for Imagine Crafts by Tsukineko!  The product line is AMAZING and I am really looking forward to playing and creating with all kinds of really cool stuff. 

Some of my original stamp pads are Tsukineko ink pads, and they are still in use after 15-18 years!  I've always stored them upside down in a cool dry place as suggested.  This just means I can add to my ink stash with more fun colors.  This recent post uses one of my oldest Kaleidacolor ink pads AND was part of Imagine Crafts "Links We Like Wednesday" just today. 

Imagine Crafts has so many products that can be used in paper crafting, mixed media, and DIY projects.  I will be sharing some of the new creative ways that this incredible line can be used in your crafting projects. 

Merry Christmas with a Metallic twist


It is my turn to select the theme over at Ruby’s Rainbow Challenges and since we are very close to the Christmas Season I thought a Christmas challenge with a Metallic  twist would be fun!  Christmas is my favorite season of the year; I love the carols, decorations, the food, being with family and friends, but most importantly the Celebration of Christ’s birth!  Please join us and share your Christmas cards that have a bit of metallic glitter!



This card includes metallic ink and two metallic glossy papers plus a little shimmer from Imagine Crafts Vertigo.  The metallic ink floats over the Christmas tree image on a piece of recycled packaging.  The tiny ornaments are created with irResistible Pico Embellisher in Lady Bug.

Supplies:
Imagine Crafts Tsukineko Products:  Craft Mat; StazOn Cactus Green, Forest Green, and Gold; Vertigo in Pebbles; irResistible Pico Embellisher in Lady Bug.

Other:  Spellbinders Labels Eight and Decorative Labels Eight; Impression Obsession DIE236-N Merry Christmas; Card stock in green, white, metallic gold and metallic gloss red; recycled packaging for window; stamp positioner; die cut machine, Denami Design stamps: Tree and Tree Scribble; temporary, wet, dry and dimensional adhesive.



1.    Die cut parts of the card from green, white, and metallic red card stock.  Spellbinders Labels Eight and Decorative Labels Eight were used in this design.  The fold of the card is lined up just inside the die cut edge to create a shaped card.   The card base is pressure embossed with a tan mat.  Die cut Impression Obsession Merry Christmas from gold metallic card stock. 
2.    Prep window from recycled packaging.  Corners will be trimmed to fit after design is stamped.



3.    Prep stamp positioner with tree and scribe image.  Stamp tree image in Forest Green StazOn towards the top of the white card stock die cut.  This will leave room for the die cut sentiment.  Using a very light hand, place random dots of irResistible Pico Embellisher in Lady Bug for ornaments and set aside to dry.
4.    Align and stamp the tree image in Cactus Green StazOn on the back of the packaging window and let dry.  This will produce a shadow and three dimensionality to the image. 
5.    Flip window over and align and stamp tree scribble in Gold StazOn.  Trim corners of window to fit inside the red metallic card stock frame and adhere.



6.    Place frame and window UNDER Vertigoa and line up Labels Eight to die cut Vertigo frame. Adhere to the back of the red metallic frame and window.
7.    Edge card base with Gold StazOn. 
8.    Line up white card stock with tree image on the card base and adhere. 
9.    Adhere Vertigo, red metallic frame and window with dimensional adhesive.  Adhere Merry Christmas sentiment with wet adhesive.


Do stop on by and enter the Ruby's Rainbow Challenges with your Metallic Christmas card or project!
 
I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Kaleidacolor Birthday Fun


We had an important birthday at our house this week, my youngest son turned the big ONE ZERO, double digits baby!  I decided to play around with the brilliantly colored Tsukineko Kaleidacolor Spectrum ink pad and create a fun step card for his birthday.  It is the perfect card to share for the new Retro Rubber Blog Challenge which is Anything Goes!






1.     Score an 8 1/2” x 11” white card stock from the edge to 3 ½” in at the following measurements:  1”, 2”, 3.75”, 5 ½”, and 8 ¼”.  Fold along the 5 ½” across the entire card.  Trim between the 1” and 8 ¼” score lines 3 ½” from the edge.


2.     Stamp the background stamp (Where the Rubber Hits the Road Balloons and Streamers purchased in 1997) in a pattern with the Kaleidacolor Spectrum ink pad.  Start along one edge and stamp a strip, clean the stamp and rotate the direction of the ink pad 180° to match up the center color.  Complete the background pattern by rotating the ink pad on each strip.  Stamp the area above the 5 ½” mark that will show in the tallest step.
3.     Fold the card with mountain and valley folds and die cut with Spellbinders Grand Labels Twenty-Three.  Select the die that will cut a 5 ½” high die cut.  Line up the card stock just inside of the die to allow part of both the top and bottom folds to remain intact.  Secure with low tack tape.  Due to the thickness of the folded portion, remove the card and line up the die on the reverse side to complete the cuts.


4.      Trim a section of Vertigo to fit the open section of the step card and die cut with Spellbinders Grand Labels Twenty-Three.  

   
5.     The streamers and confetti, candles, gift boxes, and balloons are all by Quickutz and have been in my collection for over 12 years, so they are also considered very retro!  The streamers and confetti, gift boxes, balloons, and Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Three were die cut after the card stock was inked.  The candles and the gift box ribbons were die cut then inked.  

  
6.     Kaleidacolor Spectrum ink pad can be used to ink the various embellishments in several different ways.  A soft foam brayer on card stock will give a soft sponged background used in the balloon under layers, sentiment panel, and the gift boxes.  A hard rubber brayer and Ink Potion No. 9 on glossy card stock is used for the balloons, the cake base, and the streamers and confetti.  Ink blushers are used on individual sections of the ink pad to ink the ribbons on the gift boxes and the candles.  The candle flames are colored with Memento Dual Tip Marker in Tangelo.
7.     The sentiment “Happy Birthday” from Hero Arts It’s Your Day (2013) is stamped in Tsukineko Tuxedo Black.  “Peter” is from the Scrappy Cat Playful Serie set.  After the Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Three is die cut it is outlined in black.
8.     The “cake” from Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Three die cut is pressure embossed with Cuttlebug Polka Dots.  A 1” strip of white glossy card stock is also die cut with Spellbinders Labels Twenty-Three and then punched with Martha Stewart’s Drippy Goo punch.
9.     The glossy balloons are adhered to the sponged balloons layer and sections of black craft thread are tied to the bottom of the balloons.  The balloons are adhered to the base card with various levels of dimensional foam adhesive.  The threads are gathered to the center and adhered under the sentiment panel.  The sentiment panel is adhered with the thickest dimensional foam adhesive.
10.  The layers on the steps are adhered together and to the steps of the card. 

My son really loved his card and liked the fact that there are ten candles on the cake!  Please do come play along with us at Retro Rubber Blog Challenge and enter our Anything Goes Challenge.  Remember to use your stamps that are more than a year old!

Imagine Crafts featuring Tsukineko:
·      Kaliedacolor Spectrum
·      Memento Tuxedo Black
·      Vertigo in Taffeta
·      Ink Potion No. 9
·      Ink Blushers
·      Craft Mat

Other
·      Where the Rubber Hits the Road Balloons and Streamers background stamp
·      Hero Arts It’s Your Day set
·      Scrappy Cat Playful Serie set
·      Spellbinders Grand Labels Twenty-Three and Labels Twenty-Three
·      Quickutz gift boxes, balloons, candles, streamers dies
·      Martha Stewart Score Board, Drippy Goo punch
·      Soft and hard rubber brayers
·      Cuttlebug Polka Dots embossing folder
·      Miscellaneous: Glossy and matte white card stock, adhesive, dimensional foam adhesives of varying thicknesses, die cut machine, low tack tape, black craft thread



I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:
Seize the Birthday Vellum or Acetate (Vertigo is a type of acetate) 

Monday, November 23, 2015

Special Thanks


We celebrate several birthdays during the late fall, so it is a great time to make thank you cards.  It is also Thanksgiving break here in Central Oregon so there is a little time to play along with a few challenges!  The Fusion Challenge was the primary source of inspiration for this flowery thanks.



1.     Trim cream card stock to 5 ½” x 8 ½” and spritz with Fireworks and Walnut ink sprays.  Set aside to dry.
2.     Trim cream card base to 6 ½” x 10 /2” and fold in half.  Trim Newsprint patterned paper to 4 ¾” x 6” and the gold card stock to 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. 
3.     Die cut curve into top layers by lining the layers up and placing the Hillside border in the desired position, hold in place with low tack tape and die cut.  Repeat with the the opposite side. 
4.     Trim 1/8” from each end of the gold card stock.  Place inside the Enchanted embossing folder and pressure emboss.  Distress raised portion with sanding block.   Adhere the layers together and temporarily place on card base.  Make light pencils marks and remove. 
5.     Curve Special Thanks sentiment to match cure and place on acrylic block.  Ink and stamp with Versa Magic Gingerbread.  Erase pencil marks.
6.     Die cut two of the smallest Spellbinders Bitty Blossoms and three of the medium sized Impressions Obsession Spiral Flowers.   
7.     Twist flowers with quilling tool and tweezers and adhere with wet adhesive.  Set aside to dry.
8.     Die cut two sets of leaves from green card stock and pressure with embossing mat.  Ink raised portions and edges with Versa Magic Gingerbread.
9.     Adhere leaves and flowers to card base with glue dots and varying thicknesses of dimensional adhesive.  

Imagine Crafts by Tsukineko:
·      Fireworks in Dandelion, Tangelo, Lady Bug
·      Walnut Ink in Walnut
·      Versa Magic Gingerbread
·      Craft Mat

Other
·      Spellbinders:  Bitty Blossoms, Enchanted embossing folder
·      Impression Obsession Spiral Flowers
·      Lawn Cuts Stitched Hillside Borders
·      Inkadinkado Thanks
·      Die Cuts With a View Textures & Finishes
·      Coordinations Distress Collection gold card stock
·      Miscellaneous:  Cream and green card stock, die cut machine with embossing mat, quilling tool, tweezers, wet adhesive, glue dots, dimensional adhesive, permanent adhesive, low tack tape, sanding block, acrylic block,

There a few more challenges that I would like to enter this card into:


Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, please follow if you are so inclined!

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Wishing You a Happy Thanksgiving


Our college student is more than 1,000 miles away and the airline ticket home for the short Thanksgiving break is VERY expensive.  She will celebrate the holiday with family in the area, but I always like to send her a little bit of home with a handmade card.


I was inspired by the fun sketch over at Pals Paper Arts #276 and the card came together very quickly!
Level:  Beginner
Time:  15 minutes

Imagine Crafts by Tsukineko
·      Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves
·      Ink Potion No. 9
·      Memento Dual Marker Rich Cocoa
·      Craft Mat
Other
·      Technique Tuesday Say It Happy
·      Spellbinders Foliage
·      Heartfelt Creations Leaf Medley PreCut Set
·      Darice Foliage embossing folder
·      Miscelaneous:  glossy white, Kraft , and cream card stock, burlap trim, hard rubber brayer, die cut machine, adhesive

1.     Use the hard rubber brayer to apply Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves ink to 5 ½” x 8 ½” glossy card stock.  Ink up the brayer and spritz lightly with Ink Potion No. 9.
2.     Trim selected section of inked glossy card stock to 4 ¼” x 5 ½” and pressure emboss with Darice Foliage embossing folder.
3.     Use Spellbinders Foliage to die cut the small leaves from remaining sections of inked glossy card stock. 
4.     Ink Heartfelt Creations stamp with Memento Rich Cocoa or alternately use Memento Dual Marker if lacking the ink pad.
5.     With tweezers place die cut over stamp and use another acrylic block to apply pressure. 
6.     Ink Technique Tuesday’s Say It Happy sentiment with Kaleidacolor Autumn Leaves.  Reverse the image on the section of ink pad to get a desired color.  Stamp on Kraft card stock and trim to 1 5/8” x 2 ¼”.  Back with cream card stock 1 ¾” x 2 ½” and adhere together.
7.     Trim Kraft card stock to 4 ½” x 5 ¾” and cream card stock base to 6” x 9 ½”.  Score card base and fold in half.  Adhere Kraft card stock and embossed glossy card stock.  Adhere sentiment panel.
8.     Trim burlap trim to 5 ½” and adhere to card.  Adhere die cut leaves.

This turned out to be such a lovely card that went together very quickly!  

I would like to enter it into the following challenges:
My Sheri Crafts Happy Thanksgiving

Happy to Report that this card was selected as the third spotlight at

Thanks for stopping by!  May your Thanksgiving holiday be blessed with family, friends, and food.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

CAS Thanks


It is that time of year to make Thank You cards!  My birthday is around the corner and what better way to truly send thanks than to send a handmade card!


I started with a sketch from Retro Sketches and went looking through my card making kits.  I found scraps from an old Basic Grey collection named Lucky.  It had fun and happy colors combined with pretty blossoms.   The front of an A-2 size card was placed in Cuttlebug Thanks embossing folder.  After trimming the diagonal strips to 5/8”, ¾’, and 5/8” they were adhered to the front of the card.  The tag was part of the Lucky printed set, and is decorated with ribbons and fibers from my stash.  Spellbinders Petite Ovals Small and Large die cut the sentiment label.  The sentiment is from a $1 Studio G set that I’ve had for many years.  It is stamped in Tsukineko Memento Luxe Elderberry and heat embossed with clear embossing powder.  Once the design elements were selected it took less than 10 minutes to put this Clean and Simple card together.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges: