Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Try It Out Tuesday - Black, White and a little color

Hi all,  Happy Fall!!  In our little corner of the world it was pretty cold today, thanks to a north easterly wind.  BRRRRRR.

For my project today, I've chosen a Kenny K New September release called Harper Blue. Now being Canadian, that could mean a lot since our Prime Minister's name is "Harper".  If you do a Google search for "Harper Blue", it leads you to an upscale Consignment Shop in Ventura, CA. Interesting!

On to Harper Blue, from KennyK's OMG CollectionP1030109 copy©Kenny Kiernan for Whimsy Stamps.  I've chosen to show it in a different setting....... to show that not everything is Black and White.   (Looking at the picture - I don't know what my brain was thinking.....or not thinking -- It looks like a wedding card....without the bride). 

On to the next view.  

I've used a technique called Peek-a-boo card, which shows the image turning into a colored image.  I don't have a tutorial for you, but you can find one hereP1030114 copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don't you just love those shoes......P1030113 copy

Materials used:  Copic White, Tuxedo Black Memento ink, Copic Markers:  E00, E11, R20, E30, E33, E34, R22, R24, R27, E70, E71, C00.  Copper Glitter, Sakura Stardust pen, Cardstock, DP's, Ribbon, Flowers from stash  (Basic Grey, Bo Bunny). Quikcutz ovals and scallop dies.

Til next time, Stamp up a storm, ink up a Whimsy wish, and send it on to someone to make them smile.

Hugs,

madge0902 (1)

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Whimsy Try It Out Tuesday - Let's Get Inky - background technique

Hi all. What do you do when you're feeling uninspired....??  I reached for my all-time favorite stamp sets, Lavish Flourishes, Time Flies and Vintage Maritime Transportation --  The little black dress for stamp sets by Rainbow Echo Designs for Whimsy Stamps.
We are going to get messy today!  You may want to grab some latex, latex gloves that is. I'm going to show you how to do a truly beautiful background technique that has to be seen up close and personal to be appreciated.
Materials:  Base Card  (8 1/2" x 11" - scored in half), Card front (4" x 5 1/4"), Stamps: Lavish Flourishes, Time Flies and Vintage Maritime Transportation. Embossing Folder**, 3 - 4 Distress Inks***, Anti-Static Bag, Black StazOn ink, Versamark, Embossing Powder, Die Cut machine, heat tool and a blending tool (I prefer to work with sponges).  Whimsy Compass Die, Cardstock from stash.
I am trying to work smart by making 4 cards for a monthly swap I participate in, and use Whimsy Stamps for my cards. Usually my cards entail far too much coloring and embellishments to send for swap cards, today's are going to be classic CAS.P1030042 copy
My card front pieces included 1 white, 1 previously made polished stone, 1 aqua paint chip, 1 beige paint chip and 1 yellow, all cut to 4" x 5 1/4". The Paint Chips are BEHR pinched, borrowed from our local Home Depot. I found them very slick and not wanting to grab color, but they were worth the experiment.
With Black StazOn, randomly stamp images onto the card fronts. Stamp off the cardstock to give the illusion of motion.P1030051 copy
Using a blending tool and your choice of inks, work in an invisible oval.  Start with the lightest color and work toward the edges.  Leaving some of the original color of cardstock. Next work with a medium color, working towards the outer edges. Repeat with the darkest ink, which becomes the most dramatic color.  To get a rich vibrant color on the outer edges, pounce your blending tool instead of blending.
When you are satisfied with your blending, set the inks with your heat gun .  After heating a tissue can be used to remove any residue by polishing the surface.P1030060 copy Colors will become a little lighter with heating the inks.
Take an anti-static bag (or used dryer sheet), and swipe it across the surface of the cardstock to remove any static that will attract embossing powder.
Embossing Folder:  Chose one with spaces between the design.  (Swiss dots would not be a good choice).
Open the embossing folder and swipe your Versamark (or ink resist) ink over the raised design of your folder.  Insert your colored cardstock face down onto the side you applied Versamark.   Close the folder and run through your die cutting machine.
Very quickly, remove the cardstock from the folder and sprinkle with Embossing Powder.  Flick the embossing powder off the cardstock and onto a piece of copy paper or embossing powder tray.  If a lot of embossing powder sticks, a paintbrush can be used to remove excess powder.  Clean your Embossing Folder with soapy water.
P1030063 copy

This picture shows the difference between applying the Versamark to the raised background (left) or the raised design (right).
Heat the cardstock with a heat gun to melt the embossing powder.

A variety of embossing powders can be used to get different effects.  Iridescent Ice would be beautiful for a snowflake embossing folder.
Here are   my finished cards, along with the cardstock, colors of distress inks and embossing powders used.
P1030072
Aqua Paint Chip:
Inks: Stormy Sky, Faded Jeans, Broken china.
Clear Embossing Powder
Stamp:  Vintage Maritime Transportation
Die:  Whimsy Shapeology  "Compass die"
1" Circle Punch (center of compass)

P1030073 copy
Beige Paint Chip:
Inks:  Frayed Burlap, Walnut Stain
Gold Detail Embossing Powder
Stamp:  Time Flies
(This is actually very pretty in real life, but the camera picked up the gold as garrish yellow.)

P1030078
White Cardstock:
Inks:  Broken China, Faded Jeans, Black Soot
Clear Embossing Powder
Stamp:  Vintage Maritime Transportation



P1030081 copy

Polished Stone:  (white cardstock, coral & pink dye inks, Iridescent Glimmer Mist)
Inks:  Spun Silk, Barn Door, Black Soot
Clear Embossing Powder
Flower:  from stash
This card is indeed the most vibrant. The Black corners set off the inks beautifully.
I hope these cards give you some inspiration to try this background technique. 
Until next week, "stamp up a storm, ink up a wish and send it on to someone to brighten their day".
Rubber hugs, Whimsy Wishes,
madge0902 (1)

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Center Side Step – Try It Out Tuesday for Whimsy Stamps

Hi all, hope you are enjoying the remaining days of summer. This last weekend was pretty sad around this household. My little Michou (14 years old Shih Tzu) became very ill. He had gotten into household garbage and devoured corn cobs – we’ve had 2 weeks of very strange behavior. Finally on Saturday morning I took him in to our Vet Clinic. He was very ill with the later diagnosis that there was two pieces of matter either in his colon or stomach. Today, I went to the clinic and spent an hour and a half just sitting with him. If the blockage does not move, the only other option would be to operate. At his age, it’s not an option. So Missie, my other little Shih Tzu and I spent the weekend trying to console each other at Michou’s absence. Of course DH flew into some isolated Lake near Whitehorse last week, and cannot be reached.P1030018

So on to a happier place! My project for today is a very colorful Autumn Card using the digital image Autumn Delight from StampArt Designs.  Katheryne also includes a bonus pack that you get with the original image.  I do so like rich autumn colors of autumn leaves.  I found a very easy way to color autumn leaves.

 

 

 

P1030012-001 P1030014-001These autumn leaves were found in the digital bonus file.  I printed off 4 sets of the bonus file onto copic cardstock.  A total of 16 leaves.   I scribble colored each leaf with copic markers, YR16, R24, and YG25.   The colored leaves were then cut out individually, looking nice but leaving jagged edges with no definition.  So I took out my Distress Ink (Tea Dye) and sponged color around the edgesP1030016-001  You can see the difference between the two. The distress inked leaves (on right) give the edges definition

 

Front Side Step Card instr.

 

 

 

 

 

For my Center Step Card, I started with a 6" x 11" piece of chocolate brown cardstock. 

1.  Measure in 1.25" from right and left edge.  Draw a vertical line from the 1" mark to the 6.5" mark and cut with an exacto knife.  This will give you a Right, Inside and Left panel. 

2.  Score:  inside panel (only)  at 5.5".  (Mountain Fold).

3.  Score both Right and Left panels @:  1" (Mtn fold); 2"(Valley fold) and 6.5" (Mtn fold).

I matted and added DP to each section (after distressing the edges with Tea Dye ink).  The image was colored, fussy cut, and pop dotted to a torn and distressed piece of Vanilla card stock.  Leaves, Bird, Sentiment and pumpkin were added for embellishments.

A piece of DP was added to the inside of the card for adding a sentiment in the future.  Finished measurement of card is 6" x 5.50" with only a slight depth for easy (cheaper) mailing.  

P1030027I hope you have been inspired to try out

a Center Side Step card.   

Materials used:    12" x 7.5" cardstock. various matts, Generations "Simple Stars" cardstock,  3-D tape, Copic Markers:  E70, E71, E74, E000, E11,R20 RVOOO TR31, YR11 B91, B93, B97, Y38, E97, R27, YL58, YG68, YG25, YR31, RR20. DP is from Generation 6" x 6" from their Simple Stories Line, Glossy Accents and 3-D tape.

Rubber hugs, Inky wishes,

Madge

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Strawberries anyone?? Try It Out Tuesday for Whimsy

Hi all, I'm back again after not making an appearance last week.  DH whisked me away for a Birthday Dinner as a "surprise" and interrupted my plans to work on a project. 

Here in the Okanagan Valley fruit is very abundant.  Unfortunately, when the fruit is in season, the weather is extremely hot and with all the comings and goings of summer I have always frozen fruit for making something with when the weather and P1030009 copytime permit.  Thus my first project.  Labels for Strawberry Jam, which I intend to make sometime in the next month or two.  The Labels will be perfect for those jars which will be given to friends and neighbors over the holiday season. 

Materials used:

 "Home Made", a July Release from Momas, for Whimsy Stamps, White Avery Labels 05163 (4" x 2") 10.  Memento Tuxedo Black ink, Ranger Antique Linen Distress Ink, Copics:  R32, R27, R46, YG04, G24, G28, YG63.  Stamp positioner.  P1030011 copy (My picture is showing a lot of "blotches", which I realized is the printing on the back of the label sheet).  Because I thought the labels were very stark, I shaded them using a Distress ink. I created a negative mask, by cutting the stamped image from the center of a piece of scrap cardstock.  You can see the piece of tape I used to enclose my cut into the image. I used a stamp positioner to place the stamp on the left side of the label. Distress ink was applied by placing the negative mask over each stamped label before coloring with copics.

 

For a second project, the same image was used for a CAS card.  P1030007 copy

Additional products used:  White Copic cardstock, Red cardstock, Corner punch, Black multiliner, Post-it notes or Computer weight paper and repositionable tape.

Two masks were created by stamping the whole image onto post-it notes.

 

P1020992 copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

P1030002 copyMeasure and draw a line 1/4" from the outer lines of:  Top left and side, and Bottom right and side.   Cut along lines of the two masks.  It may be a good idea to identify the Top and Bottom masks.

 

Cut each mask to separate the portion of the image you want to stamp from the portion you do not want inked. 

 

 

(Top:  I cut from the end of the line at the right corner, scrolled around the P1020997upper strawberries and then to the end of the line on the upper right). (Bottom: I cut from the end of the line on the right, scrolled around the berries to the end of the line on the upper right)  I didn't want the indentions in the corners to be stamped.

 

 

 

P1030003 copy

Stamping the top left:

Place the (top) cut mask (very precisely lining up the edges) onto the upper left corner of a 5.25" x 5.25" piece of white cardstock.

Using a stamp positioner, place the acetate or glass on the mask (and cardstock).  At this point use some tape to keep the bottom in place.  Place your positioner, remove the top left corner of your mask and stamp the image.

Stamping the bottom right:

Place the (bottom) cut mask (very precisely lining up the edges) onto the lower right corner of the cardstock.  Place your stamp positioner acetate or glass over the image.  Tape the upper part of the mask in place. Place the positioner, remove the bottom right corner of your mask and stamp the image.

A whole image was stamped, cropped and mounted onto red cardstock.  The images were then colored with copics, matted with red and placed onto a 5 1/2" x 11" (scored in half) piece of cardstock.  The bottom left and top right corners looked naked so I took a black multiliner and drew in "corners".

I hope my tutorials gave you some inspiration today to "stamp up a storm, ink up a wish and send it on to someone to make them smile".

Rubber hugs, whimsy wishes,

madge0902 (1)