Two Techniques, Double the Fun

Tami Bayer, lead at Fiskateers.com, hosted a Stamp Out online crop a few weeks ago.  This card had some issues and didn't make the stamp out deadline but I'm happy to post it here, now.  

The background utilizes Tim Holtz' brushless watercolor and rock candy distress stickles techniques.  The background stamp is from Fiskars Plumage set and I generously applied additional distress ink with blending tool and foam before doing the rock candy part.  

The book plate is Anna Griffin (a bargain set from Tuesday Morning).  This is where I ran into trouble.  I stamped "cheers" (Fiskars stamp) with Fiskars navy pigment ink on white card stock and heat set.  I then went over that with various blue/blue green shades of distress ink.  All good.  I adhered my card stock to the book plate with Glossy Accents, still good.  Then I added more glossy accents to fill in the "air space" between the stamped/inked paper and the inside edge of the bookplate.  Still doing fine!  Set aside to dry.  No problem until I dropped a couple of pens into my Glossy Accents--no, no, no!  Round 2 worked even better when I placed that bookplate across the room!  

Additional notes on the bookplate--I used my Fiskars fingertip craft knife and # 5 micro tip scissors to cut away excess card stock after everything was good and set.  I used a push pin to drill through the holes on each end to run some $ Store fiber through them.

Thanks so much for looking at my fun to make card.  Oh, I actually used some 400 series Strathmore Watercolor Paper for the card base--nice and substantial for a special card.

A Few Cards for a Fiskateer Challenge

Lead Fiskateer Tami Bayer hosts a monthly color challenge at Fiskateers.com.  April's prompt was NEON and it really took me back down my memory late--about 4 decades!  Both cards utilize Michael's Recollections brand card stock and Fiskars Give it a Swirl, Cupcake, Apron Lace, Threading Water and Lace border punches.

The hat on this card has little tabs along each side that I folded under.  The tabs are attached to provide a slight bend to the party hat.   The purple flower trim was made from purple tissue paper.  Each flower consists of 8 layers of tissue punched with the Fiskars Seal of Approval squeeze punch.  I used stickers for the Celebrate and 21.  The 21 has a thin layer of black stickles on top.  I cut the numbers from the sticker sheet and applied the stickles to the sheet.  When dry, I carefully peeled the numbers from the sheet.

Here's a different variation of the same card design

For the trim on this card, I gathered sections of crepe paper streamers by hand basting with thread.  Stamped Celebrate! with Fiskars Simple Stick Birthday Cheer stamp set.  I decided to skip the tabs and bendy front on this card and just use pop dots to attach the party hat.

Thanks for dropping by.  Hope all your celebrations are NEON bright and happy.

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 10, last class

Only one tag for this day but it is a beautiful technique.  I'm looking forward to using this again and again!

See the shine?  I love that!  This technique was Rock Candy Distress Stickles.  My stamp is from Fiskars Asian Inspired Set.  It's a large background acrylic stamp and I had trouble getting the stamp to accept the distress ink.  When that happens, I usually rub a white eraser over the acrylic.  I couldn't find my eraser!  So I used Colorbox pigment inks.

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 9

I was practically shining by the time I finished these tags : )  I had a hard time getting a good photo but you can at least tell that they shine.

From left to right:  Perfect Distress Mist technique, Perfect Distress technique (Tim Holtz stamps)

and Perfect Splatter Distress technique.

The last technique will be up in a few--so sad the class is ending.

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 8

This class has been so much fun and I've learned so much.  Sharing day 8's tags with you

The techniques from left to right are Dabber Resist technique, Crackle Paint Resist technique and Shattered Stains technique.  All stamps by Tim Holtz.  The butterlies are some old, naked chipboard from WalMart!

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 7

No substitutions!  I had just what I needed for today's class.

From left to right, Nostalgic Batik technique (Hampton Arts and Tim Holtz stamps, Rusted Enamel technique and Distress Powder Resist technique (stamp from Fiskars Plumage set).

I enjoyed the Distress Powder Resist so much I made a second tag with a Heidi Swapp stamp.

Oh!  I haven't forgotten Day 6.  I do not have distress markers and haven't found the specialty stamping paper but I do have lifetime access to the class.    

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 5

Here you go

The techniques from left to right are Stained Kraft Resist (Hero Arts stamp), Stamping with Stains (Hero Arts and Stampabilities background stamp), Marbled Stains (Fiskars For the Birds stamps and Tim Holtz stamps).  I'm not very happy with my stamp selection on the first two tags.  Love the images just not for these techniques.  I also couldn't find picket ink distress stain and substituted white acrylic paint.  I will retry when I get my hands on some of that neat stain and will post my tags when I do.

Thanks for looking!

Creative Chemistry 101 Marathon--Day 4

Hi, there!  I've been playing catch up on the technique tags from class for the last few days.  I will be making separate blog posts for each day -- easier for me to link to the class gallery.  Thank you for your patience.  Without further ado, here's day 4.

From left to right Watercoloring With Reinkers Technique (Wendy Vecchi stamps), Layered Misting (unknown source for stencil), Custom Stamp Pad (Inkadinkado stamp).  Note, I couldn't find cut and dry felt anywhere in or near my town so substituted a stack of baby wipes.

Day 5 coming up!

A Fun Tag

I needed a break from all things Distress and Cheryl Waters, Lead Fiskateer at Fiskateers.com, had just the ticket, er tag!  She issued a challenge to create a mixed media tag using at least five tools and three different mediums.  I came up with this!

My mediums were colored pencils, white craft paint, pigment ink pads (Fiskars and ColorBox), Ranger Glossy Accents (on the bubbles), Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist and Fireworks pigment ink spray.  The tools I used were Fiskars desktop rotary trimmer, #5 scissors, interchangeable border punch with Lacy Doubles cartridge, Tim Holtz/Tonic paper distresser, my computer (sentiment) and stamp from Studio G.  You might not see in this photo but I first ran the tag thru my Big Kick with the Fiskars Netting Texture Plate to give a tile like embossed grid.  The dark blue swirl and dots in the upper right corner are Cloud 9 Raindots.  All paper from my scrap bin.

I'll be back in a day or two with more Tim tags from class.  See you then!

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 3 Tags

We are on day 5 of class.  See the title of this blog post?  Yes, I'm running behind!  No classes on the weekend so I do have time to catch up.  Here are my day 3 tags

I do not have the full compliment of Ranger products so I'm substituting where necessary.  I do want to improve my Ranger stash but will do so over time--and I'll go back and recreate the tags with all things Ranger as I acquire new, fun things.  I think it will provide an interesting comparison.

The first tag  illustrates the Alcohol Ink Agates technique.

I used Ranger Alcohol Inks, Mixatives and Glossy Card Stock, Tim Holtz Stamper's Anonymous stamp set and StazOn Jet Black.

The next tag shows the Archival Resist Technique.  I do realize that my sentiment is crooked and made a note in my stamp binder to watch for that the next time I use that stamp.

The surface is Ranger Glossy Card Stock.  I also used Tim Holtz Distress Ink, StazOn Jet Black and Memento (orange/yellow/red).  The leaf stamp is by Stampendous and sentiment is from Wendy Vecchi.  The dots are just regular old bubble wrap and the chevron grid pattern is from plastic needlepoint canvas cut at right angles.

The third tag was a troublesome little thing but I really do like the result.  It was worth all the effort, took 4 tries!, at least to me.  Now that I've had some practice, I don't think the next time will take so long.

This technique goes straight onto a manila tag.  The embossing folder is from The Paper Studio.  The stamps are from Fiskars Harlequin set.  I used StazOn Jet Black and Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Thank you so much for looking.  I'm elbow deep (and oh so colorful) in Day 4's tags!

Creative Chemistry 101--Day 2 Tags

Long time no see, right?  I'm taking Tim Holtz' Creative Chemistry 101 over at onlinecardclasses.com.  The class is all about techniques and we're making tags to illustrate each one.  The photos below are from today's class.  All inks used are in the Tim Holtz Distress line.  The stamp in the second batch is from the Fiskars' Plumage set.   Thanks for looking!

Spritz & Flick

Brushless Watercolor

Wrinkle Free Distress