Brayer Techniques for As You See It Challenge 027

I love the look of cards done with brayer techniques and there are some artists who do amazing work. Check out these blogs:  Michelle Zindorf  and  Julie Gearinger.  I'm really just a beginner, who has picked up a few tips along the way, and I hope to learn more from artists like these two, but a brayer was my first thought when I saw Amanda's sketch for As You See It Challenges #027:

I decided to do that instead of adding a large sentiment, mainly because I'm making a sympathy card.  One of my fellow demonstrators recently lost her mom and I wanted to send her a serene ocean scene.  Here's what I came up with:

• I punched out a 1" circle using (you guessed it) a 1" circle punch from a Post It Note and added it to my Very Vanilla cardstock just above where I wanted the horizon to be.
• I inked up my brayer in Soft Sky and added it to the middle of the page.  Then I used Pool Party ink for the top and bottom of the paper, again using the brayer.
• I used a ruler and my Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker to add a horizon line with a little depth and also some water lines randomly toward the shore (making sure to keep them perfectly horizontal.

• I stamped the wading birds image from Wetlands Stamp Set in StazOn Jet Black and the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes, which I die cut with the smallest of the Window Frame Collection Framelits and layered it on a piece of basic black die cut with one of the Apothecary Framelits.
• I sponge a litte Wisteria Wonder and Blushing Bride on the setting sun and the sky to create some clouds.
• My next technique class will feature some Brayer techniques, so sign up for that if you're interested in learning how to do that.

What would you do with Amanda's As You See It Sketch?  Why not try it and enter the Challenge?  

Product List

126695	126697	128748	127802
121045	111351	131297	131181
126982	126985	101406	101610
102395	131172	129021	127003

Variations on a Theme: My August Paper Pumpkin

Guess what was delivered right to my door yesterday?

You're right!  It was my August Paper Pumpkin!  Usually, I have a hard time getting to play with them because of all the other designing and class preparation I have to do, but tonight, after a long afternoon and evening cutting my first Christmas Stamper's Dozen projects of the year, I still had a blog post to do and no project to show you.  I was just too tired after three days of VBS every morning, to start a new card and I was at a loss knowing what to do!  Then my eye caught sight of that bright orange package on my desk, and I thought, "Aha!  I'll do My Paper Pumpkin projects!  Everything is all cut, easy and ready to go!  Brilliant!"

So I'm going to show you the card that follows the directions given in the package, then I thought I would show you some alternative projects that step it up a bit!  Here's the intended card:

• Isn't that cute?  I'd be happy to give that to someone special to me!  In fact, my daughter Kristen loves biking, so it would be perfect for her.  
• I love the little honeycomb stick-on borders in Crushed Curry! 
• And this is a colour palette I'm going to use again:  Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry, Baked Brown Sugar and Raspberry Ripple!

Now here's another card, using most of the same components, but in a different way:

• I changed colour on the stamps, used the border stickers vertically, and added a couple of extra elements.
• I used the water stain stamp from the very first Paper Pumpkin Welcome Kit on some Whisper White cardstock in Bermuda Bay, stamped off once or twice, then stamped the bicycle in Baked Brown Sugar.  I sponged the edge with Bermuda Bay ink.
• I punched it out using the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and die cut a matte from Raspberry Ripple cardstock using the Window Frames Collection Framelits.  I popped the whole thing up on Dimensionals.

Here's the next one:

• I think this one might be my favourite!  I got out the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set and stuck with just two colours, Crushed Curry and Baked Brown Sugar to give a more monochromatic look!  LOVE Gorgeous Grunge!

And here's the last one:

• I used my Honeycomb Embossing Folder to add a little texture to the bottom of the card.
• I added another image from Gorgeous Grunge behind the bike to give the impression of motion.
• I stamped the sentiment flag on a spare scrap of Whisper White, cut it out and popped it up on Dimensionals.
• Three Bermuda Bay Candy Dots complete the design!

I honestly enjoyed myself creating these four cards and it only took half an hour at the most!  And the cards are so cute!  My Paper Pumpkin is the greatest solution for those who want a little time each month to craft, but don't have time, space or money to do more!  It's also great for people like me, who enjoy a quick, little  project that I didn't have to totally make up by myself once in a while.

You should definitely give this a try.  It's a subscription service and each month, sometime after the 10th of each month, a package is delivered right to your door for $24.95 plus tax.  But hold on a moment....if you sign up for My Paper Pumpkin before August 31, 2013, you can get your first two months at half price!!  That's $12.50 plus tax!

You go to the link above, and click Sign Up.  Make sure to click on Add Promotion Code and type in  PUMPKINDEAL to take part in the discount.  Also, after adding all your info, make sure you choose me as your demonstrator!  If I get a few more subscribers, I will start coming up with alternative projects like this every month for you!   Great deal and so fun!

Dynamic Duos

I love Dynamic Duos' challenges.  I just like cards without too many colours on them.  In fact, I love monochromatic colour schemes!  I like the name, "Dynamic Duos"  because it reminds me of my younger comic reading days when Batman and Robin were known as the Dynamic Duo!  Then there was the TV show with Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin!  

Great entertainment!  Even the theme music was fun.  Just ask my sister, Sandi, because she would play it over and over, absolutely pounding the tar out of our poor piano. 

So I eagerly look forward every week to a new Dynamic Duo Challenge, and this week it was a subtle pairing (sounds like wine, hmmm!) 

 Pool Party and Pink Pirouette make such a pretty pair, if you'll pardon the alliteration!  Here's the card I came up with:

I used a new stamp that I had been dying to try from the new Spring Catalogue.  It is called "Just Thinking" and it fits well with the Windows Frames Collection Framelits.  And I have reams of the pretty Pool Party ribbon from Sale-A-Bration, so I added a doily, pearl and a bow and "Bob's your uncle"!  I could use the dark Early Espresso brown because it is a Stampin' Up Neutral and neutrals are also allowed for the challenge.  It just does such a good job of showcasing what would otherwise be very pale and washed out colours.  I stamped the stamp once inked in Pool Party and once inked in Pink Pirouette then cut out the pieces and mixed and matched them.  I cut out an additional shape in Pool Party and embossed it using the Square Lattice Embossing folder!

This is a fairly simple card to make and just requires a little fussy cutting, so it would work well for a workshop make and take.

Hope you enjoyed a look back at the Dynamic Duo today!  Holy Embossing Folders, Batman!
Stamps:  Just Thinking (w129940)
Paper:  Pool Party (122924), Pink Pirouette (111351), Early Espresso (119686) and Whisper White (100730) card stock
Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pad in Pool Party (126982) and Pink Pirouette (126956)
Accessories:  Paper Doilies (129399), Sycamore Street Ribbon and Button Pack (130812)*, Large Pearl Basic Jewels (125577)
Tools:  Paper Snips (103579), Window Frames Collection Framelits (129021), Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976)

Just Thinking

Window Frames Collection Framelits

Square Lattice Embossing Folder

Paper Snips

You Can't Catch Me!

As a child, I had an extremely overactive imagination.  When I was about 10, my dad finished a beautiful bedroom for me downstairs, so I wouldn't have to share with my brother.  But... it was downstairs, and no one else slept down there, and every night I could hear footsteps walking right up to my bedroom door and stopping!  I was so freaked out, I had to give the bedroom to my brother and reclaim my old room.  I never stopped to think I might have hurt my dad's feelings, after he had worked so hard to build it for me, I just knew that one night, whatever it was that was making those footsteps, was going to open that door and come in!  And I didn't want to be there!!

So when I heard the story of the Gingerbread Man when I was little, it was one of those stories that got my imagination revved and I could feel every bite that fox took out of the poor little guy! I've always felt ambivalent toward gingerbread men ever since, as cute as they are.

Nevertheless, as I started to create my MOJO Monday #260 card, I realized that a gingerbread man was what was needed as the main image.  It's round/square week, and although I didn't quite make a circle, I'm getting closer, by making a round/square card:

I used the largest Window Frames framelit to create the outline shape of the card.  I folded my card stock in half and positioned the framelit just so the top edge was slightly over the edge where the fold was and cut out the two layers at once.  This is not recommended by Stampin' Up and might void the warranty on your framelits, but I have never had a problem with two layers before. 
Here's the Mojo sketch:

The base is Crumb Cake and then I cut out the next smaller framelit in Always Artichoke and adhered some Fan Fair DSP to it.  Then I cut out the strip of Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations card stock and embossed it with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder and sanded it lightly to reveal the lighter red underneath.  I stamped some of the 7/8" cotton ribbon with a design from the Border Banter stamp set in Always Artichoke and used it as an extra layer.  The little gingerbread man is from the Scentsational Season stamp set and I stamped him in Chocolate Chip in on a circle punched from Very Vanilla.  I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake and mounted it on a Crumb Cake square, which I pierced around the edges using the Stampin' Up Piercing Tool.  I used a slightly larger square of Cherry Cobbler to back this and fancied up the edges using the Finishing Touches Edgelit.

 

 

I popped this panel up on Dimensionals, after adding the Merry Christmas greeting from the Mixed Medley stamp set.  The piece de resistance is the Brushed Bronze Designer Button, threaded with some Cherry Cobbler Scalloped Tulle Ribbon, the first time I've used it!  I should have used it sooner, because you can do so many things with it!

 

Isn't he cute?  I can just hear him saying," Run, run as fast as you can!  You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"  But then, I always did have an extra-active imagination!

 

Stamps: Scentsational Season (w121026; c121190); Mixed Medley (a hostess only set) (w128054;c128057); Border Banter (w128927; c128930)

Paper: Crumb Cake (120953), Always Artichoke (105119), Cherry Cobbler (119685) and Very Vanilla (101650) card stock; Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations card stock (127846)

Ink: Classic Stampin' Pads in Chocolate Chip (126979), Crumb Cake (126975) and Early Espresso (126974)

Accessories:  Burnished Bronze Designer Button (127833); 31/2" Scalloped Tulle Ribbon in Cherry Cobbler (127841)

Tools:  Window Frames Framelits (129021); Lacy Brocade Embossing Folder (127819); Stampin' Sanding Block (129367); Paper-Piercing Tool (126189); Stampin' Pierce Mat (126199); Essentials Paper-Piercing Pack (126187)



 

 

Sleighbells Ring....

There's something just wrong about posting a Christmas card when it is still August, but today I'm doing just that.  You see, I'm planning some projects for my Christmas Stampers' Dozens, the first of which takes place in two and a half weeks.  So I have to wrap my head around some Christmas ideas and try to get into the holiday spirit.  You can't create a true Christmas card until you've managed to work up at least a smidgen of Christmas spirit!

Here's my first sample, based on the MOJO Monday sketch for this week:

Here's the MOJO sketch:

It's Round or Square week and I chose square as usual.  I'm going to have to try round one of these days.  I was quite proud of this one because I tried two new ideas.  One was using the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder to emboss one of the window shapes, from the new Window Frames Collection Framelits.  The reason I was so pleased with myself is that the Holiday Frame Embossing Folder is oval shaped and you wouldn't think of using it for this window shape, but it works very well, especially on the Core'dinations card stock - Early Espresso used here.  I also stamped on ribbon for the first time - using the new 7/8" Cotton Ribbon and the Border Banter stamp set, made just for this purpose.

 

 

I used a framelit two sizes smaller, to cut a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and stamped it with the Traditional Touches single stamp, inking it up with Stampin' Write markers in order to get the different colours.

 

The second vertical flag was made from Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations card stock, embossed with the Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing folder and sanded with a new Stampin' Up Sanding System block to bring out the lighter coloured layer of card stock underneath.  I added a little bow made with 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon in Real Red and topped it with a little Gumball Green Dahlia.

 

So, Ho Ho Ho!  There you go!

Stamps:  Traditional Touches (w128018); Border Banter (w128927; c128930)
Paper: Be of Good Cheer (126896) and Snow Festival (126908) Designer Series paper; Core'dinations card stock in Cherry Cobbler (127846) and Early Espresso (127848), Gumball Green card stock (126840)
Ink: Classic Stampin' Pad in Cherry Cobbler (126966), Stampin' Write Markers in Gumball Green (Part of In Colour collection: 126856), Early Espresso (119680)
Accessories:  Rhinestone Basic Jewels (119246); 1/8" Taffeta ribbon in Real Red (119251); 7/8" Cotton Ribbon (127844); In Colour Dahlias (127556)
Tools:  Window Frames Collection Framelits (129021); Holiday Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (127820); Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (127749); Stampin' Sanding Block (129367)

Holiday Frame Embossing Folder

Window Frames Framelits

Traditional Touches

7/8" Cotton Ribbon

Snow Festival DSP