Month: February 2018

This card was painful to create-I had to hide my distress inks/oxides, sparkle, glitter, and Tattered Angel Glimmer Mist. I tried to make it just black and white but just couldn’t do it. I NEEDED to add a pop of color with the blue butterfly. So close.

This card was lovingly crafted in honor of my aunt who recently passed away at the age of 97. Amazing-97!

Materials Used:

• X-Press It Blending Card
• Darice Embossing Folder, Leafy Tree Trunk 
• Spellbinders Nestabilities, Labels Four dies, S4-190
• Copic Markers: B41 and B45 (I thought of adding another color but decided not to press my luck. If you equate my Copic knowledge and ability to formal education, I’d still be in kindergarten. I hope to graduate to first grade in the near future.)
• Copic Multi-Liner 0.8
• Stampabilities “With Deepest Sympathy” Rubber Stamp, FR1124
• Stampabilities “Tiny Butterfly” Rubber Stamp, A1023
• Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black
• Ranger 7” Scissor
• Martha Stewart Scoring Board/Fiskars Dual-Tip Embossing Stylus
• Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer (12”)
• Baby Wipes and Paper Towels

Machine: Sizzix Big Shot, with two cutting plates and the magnetic platform. I tend to use this platform whenever I can. Its magnetic properties make it so much easier to anchor the dies on the cutting plates, without their moving. I did use the Extended Multipurpose Platform, with the embossing folder-my magnetic platform was saying ‘don’t go there!’

***

If you live in a cold climate, hang in there…spring will be here soon. The snowdrifts here in Minnesota are getting kind of high, and I have a love/hate relationship with the city snowplow. It’s needed or I wouldn’t be able to drive out of my driveway or down the street. That’s the love part, but I could swear I heard my snow blower whimper when the snowplow went by three days in a row!

And, I do KNOW that my cat isn’t really trying to take me out when she lays in front of the heat vent on the stairs. I have to step over her, but she just wants to be warm. I think.

Have a fantastic week-end!

Diane

I created this card using the Stampers Anonymous-Tim Holtz Rays Layering stencil, Distress Oxides, and Distress Micro Glaze.

Today, I finally had time to check out the new distress oxide colors. To begin the card, I put strips of Shaded Lilac and Tattered Rose oxides onto a non-stick craft sheet. I spritzed them with water and used the smooshing technique with the watercolor paper. After the paper had dried from the heat tool, I repeated this process with the Bundled Sage and Squeezed Lemonade oxides. I continued to do this until I got the look that I wanted.

With my blending tool, I sponged Broken China oxide onto the stencil. I wanted to use the Distress Micro Glaze as a resist. I positioned the stencil a little off of the rays (that I had just sponged with broken china) and put a thin layer of Distress Glaze onto the stencil with my fingers. Then, using my blending tool, I sponged Squeezed Lemonade onto the rays. I wanted to brighten up the card a bit, so I smooshed a little more Squeezed Lemonade onto it. To finish the card, I anchored it on black cardstock; then a yellow cardstock base; and stamped the sentiment on it.

Materials Used:

• Strathmore Watercolor Paper, Cold Press, 90 lb.
• Black Cardstock
• Ranger Distress Collection Cardstock, Scattered Straw
• Stampers Anonymous-Tim Holtz Rays Layering Stencil
• Distress Oxides: (Shaded Lilac, Tattered Rose, Bundled Sage, Squeezed Lemonade, and Broken China)

• Stampabilities “Let Your Light Shine” Rubber Stamp, ER1152
• Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black
• Tim Holtz Distress Micro Glaze
• Ranger non-stick Craft Sheet
• Ranger Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool with Blending Foam
• Ranger Mister
• Ranger Heat It Craft Tool
• Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer (12”)
• Martha Stewart Scoring Pad/Fiskars Dual-Tip Embossing Stylus
• Scor-Tape: 3/8”
• Baby Wipes and Paper Towels

Thanks for stopping by! Have a beautiful day!!!

Diane

 

 

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!! I hope you had a day filled with love…whatever kind of love that may be. The love of  a someone who makes your heart skip a beat, a friend who would stand by you through thick-and-thin, a furry companion who looks at you through the eyes of love, a child or (children)-little or grown, or even self-love, too. I’ve always thought that Valentine’s Day should be a celebration of all kinds of love, not just the romantic kind.

To create this card, I used my Big Shot to die cut the Mixed Media flourish on watercolor paper.  Ranger Multi Medium Matte worked really well to glue the Mixed Media die cut part to the red cardstock, but the rest of the watercolor paper was anchored with Scor-Tape.

I tapped the Distress Oxide pad directly onto the Faded Text Background stamp and placed this onto the watercolor paper. This was tricky since both the rubber stamp and the ink were the same color (not sure I really thought that one through, but it worked.)

Then, I cut about a third of the Spellbinders Labels die cut piece and stamped “Be My Valentine” with Memento Ink. I sponged the side with Candied Apple Distress Ink (using the Mini-Ink Blending Tool) to emphasize the edge of it so it would stand out. This was placed sideways onto the watercolor paper and anchored with Scor-Tape.

I die cut two red hearts with the Spellbinders Classic Heart die. The faux mini-pearls were glued  to the hearts with Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue, and Scor-Tape was used to attach the hearts to the watercolor paper. I glued three faux mini-pearls on the right side, too, to balance that side. To finish the card, the red cardstock was anchored to the white cardstock base using Scor-Tape.

(I hope this all makes sense. I’ve had an ocular migraine for two days now so my vision is blurred in my right eye. I swear my thought processes slow down whenever this happens, too.)

Materials Used:

• Strathmore Watercolor Paper, Cold Press, 90 lb.
• Red Cardstock
• White Cardstock Base
• Sizzix Thinlits Tim Holtz, Mixed Media #2, 661185
• Spellbinders Nestabilities, Classic Heart, S4-136
• Spellbinders Nestabilities, Labels: One, S4-161
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Candied Apple
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide, Candied Apple
• Stampabilities “Faded Text Background” Rubber Stamp, TR1011
• Stampabilities “Be My Valentine-Written” Rubber Stamp, CR1117
• Ranger Tim Holtz Mini Ink Blending Tool with Blending Foam
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte
• Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue (I found this in my local Walmart at an excellent price.)
• Memento Dew Drop Ink, Lady Bug
• Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer (12”) (I love how this paper cutter is self-sharpening!)
• Martha Stewart Scoring Pad/Fiskars Dual-Tip Embossing Stylus
• Cricut Weeding Tool (for getting little pieces of paper out of the dies)
• Faux Mini-pearls
• Scor-Tape: 1/4″, 1/2″, and 3/8”
• Baby Wipes and Paper Towels

Machine: Sizzix Big Shot, with two cutting pads and the magnetic platform.

Have a beautiful night!

Diane

I created this card using distress oxides, a Tattered Lace die, Sizzix dies, and lace.

***I’m so excited…I’ve purchased the January 2018 distress oxides. I didn’t use these new oxides on this card, but I plan to use them on the next one.  The five colors I’m looking the most forward to using are Tattered Rose, Squeezed Lemonade, Bundled Sage, Mermaid Lagoon, and Shaded Lilac. I think they’re such beautiful colors and creating with them is going to be so much fun!

(The January 2018 distress oxide complete set includes: Tattered Rose, Aged Mahogany, Carved Pumpkin, Squeezed Lemonade, Bundled Sage, Forest Moss, Evergreen Bough, Mermaid Lagoon, Blueprint Sketch, Shaded Lilac, Gathered Twigs, and Hickory Smoke.)***

Materials Used on this Card:

• Strathmore Watercolor Paper, Cold Press, 140 lb.
• Core’dinations Cardstock, Opal Pearl
• Core’dinations Cardstock, Lipstick
• Tattered Lace High Heel Bella die
• Sizzix, “Labels, Regal,” 559202 (I used five different sizes of these dies on this card.)
• Distress Oxides: Wilted Violet, Salty Ocean, Iced Spruce, and Seedless Preserves
• Stampabilities “Be You” Rubber Stamp, B1106
• Lace
• Ranger Mister
• Ranger non-stick Craft Sheet
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte (used as the adhesive to attach the High Heel die cut to the cardstock)
• Aleene’s Tack-It Over & Over (to adhere the lace to the cardstock and prevent fraying on the ends of the lace). UPDATE: I bought Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue the day after I made this card. I found it at my local Walmart. I thought it bonded faster and was easier to work  with than the Tack-It Over & Over.
• Scor-Tape: 1/8”, 1/2”, and 3/8”
• Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black
• Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer (12”)
• Martha Stewart Scoring Pad/Fiskars Dual-Tip Embossing Stylus
• Baby Wipes and Paper Towels
• Ranger Craft Scrubbie

Machine: Sizzix Big Shot, with two cutting plates and the magnetic platform

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful, peaceful day!!!

Diane

Last night (January 31), there was a full moon, a total lunar eclipse, a blue moon, and a supermoon. I’ve always thought the moon is beautiful, and I wanted to create a card to signify this unique event. No matter what technique I tried, I just couldn’t make the card I envisioned-an orange/red moon with a starry distressed ink background. I have not given up (totally) on that card, but I was able to create this card instead.

Materials Used:

• Strathmore Watercolor Paper, Cold Press, 140 lb.
• Black Cardstock
• Sizzix Tim Holtz Thinlits, Pondering Words, Thin, 661801
• Spellbinders Nestabilities, Standard Circle LG, S4-114
• Lavinia Stamps: Moon Gazing Hare, Bulrushes, and Slender Mushrooms (Tracey Lavinia Dutton is the artist of the Lavinia stamps.)
• Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink: Squeezed Lemonade and Tumbled Glass
• Ranger Tim Holtz Mini Blending Tool/Ranger Mini Ink Blending Foam
• Ranger Mister
• Ranger non-stick Craft Sheet
• Ranger Stickles: Crystal and Star Dust
• Tim Holtz Tonic Stamp Platform
• Martha Stewart Scoring Pad/Fiskars Dual-Tip Embossing Stylus
• Memento Ink, Tuxedo Black
• Scor-Tape: 1/8” and 3/8”
• Scotch Foam Mounting Tape
• Ranger Multi Medium Matte (used as an adhesive)
• Fiskars Procision Rotary Bypass Trimmer (12”)
• Baby Wipes and Paper Towels

Machine: Sizzix Big Shot, with two cutting pads, and the magnetic platform.

Have a beautiful night!!!

Diane