Happy Hour Challenge: 4

Well, it is a wrap. Officially, I am done with all of the Happy Hour challenges hosted by Laura. Believe it or not I felt this one was the easiest but took me the longest. I wanted to try some different spins on the resist techniques but was not pleased with the first four attempts. Most of the difficulty could be attributed to the flower stamp I selected. Since I was stuck with it I had to use what I had. Ready for the unveiling? Tada!!!!

I did not take photos in progress of this one, but I will give a bit of background. The papers used are from DCWV. I stamped the image on a 3x4 piece of paper weight paper using Versamark and  clear embossing powder which I heat set. Then I went about coloring in various portions with numerous Distress Inks using my Cut n Dry Foam pads. 

I edged the entire focal piece in Vintage photo and gave it a final spritz of Tattered Angels Glacier Mist. I cannot stress enough how versatile this particular spray is for me. It is a shimmery blue but gives just the right amount of color to almost any project. As an added bonus it causes the Distress Inks to blend more.


I cut a piece of blue at 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 inches and inked the edges with Stormy Sky. I put that through the Cuttlebug Harlequin folder.

The paper weight piece was cut at 3 3/4 x 4 3/4 and the edges inked with Mustard Seed.


The brown piece was cut at 4 1/4 x 5 1/4 with the edges inked in Vintage Photo and embossed with the Harlequin folder.


I did not get a chance to finish off the card by adhering it to a base and attaching a sentiment. That will have to wait. I considered using Skittles, Dew Drops or pastel brads in the centers but wasn't sure that I liked the look. Here is a photo I took to ascertain the effect. Not thrilled. 

So for now, I am going to stick with this. If I can get the entire card put together I will edit this post to add it. I forgot that DS had a playdate this afternoon/evening and allowed time to get away from me. 


There was not even enough time to make my famous Chicken Pot Pie. The chicken smelled so yummy bubbling away in the Crock Pot. There is always tomorrow.



Speaking of tomorrow, I will post my October Challenge entry from my Yahoo group. I had a lot of fun with it. Wanna see a sneak peek? Ok, here it is.

As you can see all was lovingly inked.
Until then.

He Is Risen

I just absolutely love the Easter season. The promise of spring comes to fruition. The trees push out their blooms and the tulips and daffodils extend their tender stems towards the sun. Their reward for braving the cooler temperatures: luscious flowers that bring us joy and delight in a myriad of beautiful color.

In the springtime everything is fresh and bright and new. It is truly a rebirth. As we celebrate the death and the resurrection of Christ, let us remember that life can began anew at anytime. As a matter of fact this month's Vee-ism is, "The best time to begin is now." It falls right behind why put off for tomorrow what you can do today. There is so much satisfaction in beginning and finishing what we start.

My ScrappinFriendz Yahoogroup issued an Easter card challenge. Everyone who enters will get a prize. So, well, why not. I entered two. Both were experimentations on my part. I had gotten some new Spellbinder Dies:  Kaleidoscope being one of them, and wanted to play with my Sakura Stardust pens and my water pen.  Thus this first card was born. Disregard the cluttered background--not enough time to take a proper picture.

The water pen used on the diecut template behind the egg was the large size. Therefore, I did get some bleeding of the color under the die. Lesson learned.

I diecut everything using watercolor paper--I wanted something that would stand up to the pen and water work without warping. The base for this card is a piece of American Crafts grape paper cut to 8x8. I used the Victoria Cuttlebug Folder to add some texture.

This is my original pop up design and it will fold flat for mailing. I added some of the Dew Drops/Pebbles around the egg and some of the Martha Stewart micro clear gemstones. I do like the overall composition and debated on covering the centers of the two side pieces with a small flower image stamped onto the smallest oval die cut.

Here is the center image up close and in person. You can see what I mean about the bleeding so I corrected for the second card.

This base on this cute little card was edged in a mixture of Tim Holtz Distress Inks--Shabby Shutters and Peeled Paint. The second layer is a card from Die Cuts With a View. I simply cut it in half and embossed the striped side with the Floral Fantasy CuttleBug folder. TH Distress Ink Worn Lipstick was used on the edges.  The white dots were created using the Sakura glaze gel pen.

To paint the bunnies, I used the smallest water pen I could find. I do think the results were much better.

This is a close-up of the large egg used. I created about 6-7 eggs in total using various background colors and Sakura pens.

I like the natural texture created by the watercolor paper. And this Spellbinder oval die gives the appearance of triple matting although it is only the single piece of diecut. I stamped the quote using some Martha Stewart acrylic alpha stamps. That was embossed onto a scalloped rectangle and layered onto one of the long Spellbinder rectangular tags. I needed it to reach from the bunnies and overlap the DCWV card. The gauzy ribbon mimics the stripes in the card without being too overwhelming.

It is my hope to get the remaining cards created and post them here. One will be for my DS. His favorite color is red, but I am hoping I can sway him with a deep orange or red-rose colored egg.

Have fun this coming weekend with family and friends. Remember the reason for the season. This is a celebration of the Risen Christ.

Thank you for taking the time to visit and see what I have been inking in the name of love.

Until then.

Zentangle Reloaded

Hello fellow crafters and those who like reading about what crafters are up to. This has been a whirlwind winter. I have been able to film and upload a lot of Vee-dios to Youtube. If you have not had the chance to check them out, see the Video list to the left. My area has been getting hit with a lot of snow. Being homebound is no fun unless you have lots to do inside of the house. I surely did. The best part was watching everyone try to dig out their cars and leave...to go where? All of the stores were closed! Great entertainment though.

On to the business at hand. I had been playing around with some images from Dover Publications that I receive in a weekly sampler email. There were some that were crying out for glaze and alcohol inks. Then it hit me: Zentangle Reloaded. I am all about finding easier ways to create art work. I printed all of the images onto acetate and allowed it to thoroughly dry. If you have heat embossable acetate you can use your heat gun. This image struck me as a suncatcher. Great crafting to do with your kids or a troop/club activity. I used some of the Sakura Craft and Hobby Glazes. These are available in a wide range of colors and there have been some metallic glazes added to the line that I am anxious to purchase.

Here I played around with the Glaze pen in black and simply traced the circles. I added different pieces of DCWV cardstock to the back to achieve various effects. The middle picture features a heavily glittered green card. The view in person is very striking. I also like the circles and bubbles effect.

This image was accomplished using the Sakura Identi-pens. These are permanent pens and are perfect for acetate because the colors are so vibrant. Again, I just traced over the lines and had a play with the colors. You can make this design be anything that you want. If you are feeling really creative you could go back in fill in some of the white space with the Sakura glaze.

Ok. I can admit and accept when an idea goes wrong. I was getting so carried away with my Sakura and acetate that I pulled out my permapague markers and decided to color in this image using the same method. Well....since the inks are not alcohol based, the colors did not blend as well as I had hoped they would.

I did not want to throw it out, so I tried using some of the alcohol inks on it. Needless to say it went from bad to worse. I still could not say no, and let it go. I saw the Cuttlebug and thought why not? Just cut it up and make it into something else. I used a set of my Spellbinder dies and made frames from the piece. They look much better separated and you can hardly tell that this was a project destined for the trash bin. Looks really art noveau.

Since I had out the alcohol inks, another why not? opportunity presented itself. I used butterscotch and  plum and dabbed these two pieces of acetate. I then turned them over and decorated the front. One I did in freestlye classic Zentangle/Zendoodle.

The other I took some help from some beautifully designed DSWV paisley paper. I laid the acetate over the sheet of card stock and took only the images I wanted. I did a bit of freehand just to give some looseness to the piece. It strikes me as carefree and I did not want to lose that.

Out of all of the projects, I think the garbage piece is my favorite. I like how the pens and inks give this a very funky appearance. You could not buy this in a store, so that makes it a true original. I don't like or do cookie cutter. So, I guess my best advice for making your work stand out from the rest, mess it up a bit and feel free to make some mistakes and you just might be pleased with what results. If not, then trash it and start all over again.

When you do start again, make sure that everything gets inked with love.

Until then.

Cuttlebug Holiday Folder: Hanging Ornaments

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We put up our tree Thanksgiving weekend and burn the lights constantly. It does not matter that not one present is under the tree; it is beautiful on its own. I so love this time of the year. People are kinder and more considerate. If we could only have the Christmas spirit year round.

Somewhere along the line, I decided to put together a series of videos showcasing the HSN exclusive Cuttlebug folders from Provo Craft. I will be the first to admit that I ordered them as soon as they were available on the website and I am so glad that I did. I absolutely adore my CB and am glad that the ladies on the QVC Craft Community Forum convinced me that the CB was the die cutter that I needed. That was about two years ago, and I have not regretted the purchase. My only problem now is that I have added to my list of must have items a whole host of CB folders and Spellbinder dies. Yes, just about every die or folder or embossing plate out there will work in this machine. If you search the internet there are a lot of sites which will provide the sandwich formulas for you.

This post takes a look at the Hanging Ornaments Folder. I had the best time playing with this folder and figuring out all of my options. The one that I settled on creating for this video is this lovely blue one. I knew that I wanted a larger card and used my Scor-pal to create lines across the bottom which were folded and allowed me to emboss the card without losing the height. I am still apologizing for the picture quality. These are scanned and in no way show the true beauty of the card. Hopefully, Santa will bring a new camera to me for Christmas, afterall, I have been a good girl. Mostly.

This Denim Blue Distress Ink from Tim Holtz is very serene on this card and the depth that is created just from using the Cut 'n Dry Foam is incredible. I used a Sizzix tree die to cut the aperture in the center. You can achieve the same by folding the card in half and tracing half of the image on the back of your card and then using a craft knife to remove the tree. Save that embossed tree to be used on another card or incorporated into this one as I did.


I used blue pastel glitter on the top of the ornaments and selected every other hanging line to emboss with Ranger snowflake glitter tinsel. I used some of the Flower Soft glue underneath and got a very different effect. I like it.

Inkadinkado stamps was incorporated for my greeting. I used an archival black dye based ink.

Both cards were sprayed with Glacier Glimmer Mist. I hope you can see the difference here.

I am also posting some of the other things I created in the video starting with the Pearlescent Chalks.

I did try chalking the folder itself, but the chalk was not strong enough. Maybe if I used a binder or solution, but I was not willing to risk staining my folder.

It is a bit light due to the scan, but these are the two images that were inked inside of the folder.

Next comes my UTEE card. That one turned out as well as expected. I love using UTEE, but it gets VERY hot because you need the powder to become molten. While it is still liquid you pour on your next layer and heat some more. I think the results you can get are worth the extra effort. Heating from underneath keeps the powder from taking flight.

This is how the card looks embossed in black. The white card did not show up. This is such a cute folder. I will finish out this post by showing the two cards where I played around with some of the Sakura, Fiskars, and American Crafts glitter markers.

Yes, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As I type this post the lovely white stuff is falling and it is beautiful.

It is hard for me to look at a white canvass and not want to ink it. I think if I could, I would take the scene I see outside of my window and take some of the Distressed Broken China, ink the edges and then hit spots with the Black Soot. Then apply an even coat of the Glacier Glimmer Mist over the picture. It will give it that etheral look of mystique to the entire scene. Yeah, I like that.

Please keep Inking in the Name of Love.

Until then.

Extended Spellbinder Dies

Happy Thanksgiving and I hope you enjoyed spending time with your family and friends or some quiet alone reflection time for yourself. We have much for which to be THANKFUL.

For this latest creation all I can say is WOW! When I began with this card I had no idea it would transform into what it did.

After cutting the initial backing, I realized that if I wanted to mat that piece to a larger version I needed a bigger die. Then it occured to me that if I used my red rubber I could make that piece as large as I wanted it to be.

 












The picture to the left shows just how much I extended the square. The one just above shows the longer rectangle created from the square die.

That sequed into the idea to create 12 inch border strips for my scrapbook pages. Now, I am realizing an unlimited possibility for these dies. Maybe I will do an entire video devoted to that concept.

Here is the bare card placed on the extended large scalloped square die. In the video the card is turned the other direction and the black pearlized card covers the edges. I could have extended it width wise by using the same process.

The other thing I loved about this card was using the Pearl Ex Pigment Powders. I like how the interference shows up on the dark card. Again, use a fixative on this to prevent the powder from rubbing off onto other things.

Some people use the inexpensive hair spray, but I use the Blair matte fixative. It is low odor--there is a no odor version.

The Tim Holtz Distress Inks are incredible. I orginally stamped the tree using the distress inks and embossed with a tinsel powder also from Ranger. The look was really nice. Much softer than the one in the video. I am posting the picture I was playing around with for effect. You can definitely see the difference.

After returning to it a few times, I think I will try the Distress Inks again but maybe in blue for a wonderful winter scene with lots of snow on the ground and smaller trees in the background or peeking into the foreground around the edges. Truly a winter wonderland.

While I was having fun, I also created an oval version of the tree.

I am not sure about anyone else but I had the dickens of a time trying to keep the oval die from moving while embossing. Yes, I tried taping it down. I knew I should have purchased that magnetic spacer mat when I had the chance. Oh, well, next time.

 

Lab Equipment used:

Nestabilities:

Classic squares large (used the largest)

Classic scalloped square large (used the largest)

Classic oval large (used the largest)

Classic scalloped oval large (used the largest)

Cuttlebug:

Flourish and Snowflake folder

Distress Inks:

Black Soot and Dusty Concord

Stamp:

Rubber Stampede Pine Tree

Watermark Cat's Eye

Ranger:

Cut and Dry Foam stamp pad

Jacquard:

Pearl Ex Inteference Violet

Fine Glitter:

Pastel Party Mix/ Lavender

Silver tinsel embossing powder that I mixed myself.

Ribbon from Michaels

DCWV:

White card stock

Green card stock

Flower Soft:

Glue

Polar White

I am busy playing around with my HSN Cuttlebug holiday folders. That was to be my next series of videos, but this one happened to fall into place. All of the prep work has been done for the videos, I just simply need to film them. If my lovely son will allow it, I will start this week and see how far I can progress.

Thanks for stopping by and please keep inking in the name of love.

Until then.

Spring Has Sprung

Hello everyone and a belated Happy Easter!!!!

I have been so busy creating that I have not taken the time to update my blog. I am popping in tonight to share a few Easter and Spring cards that I created. Please enjoy. The bunny in the center is actually a ceramic pen that I repurposed for this project. The words and eggs came from the Studio G $1 stamp sets.

Although you cannot see the detail here, all of the words were traced using Sakura glaze pens. They give a nice 3-D look and sheen. I also photographed the inside of the card to show some of the detail work there.

I

These photos show the inside of the cards. This is the close up of some glitter markers that I used from American Crafts.

The photo to the right is a close up of the cover behind the marching bunny. I used glitter markers here as well as inking the background in a soft pink using a stencil brush. Instead of pouncing, I swirled.

I truly apologize for being so tardy, but life gets busy every now and again. I had a fabulous time using the different markers, pens, and of course inks. There is no other way to do it. You simply cannot help but to Ink in the Name of Love.

Until then.

The Brown Series Three

Hello again. This is card number three in the series. One more to go and then we can move on to some other creative ideas. I wanted to show how you can take the same basic design and put a twist on it. This is a great way to maximize that left over paper. Or you can start with a 12x12 sheet and cut it down. Done properly you can get at least 16-20 cards completed without skimping on the materials. Hmmm. That gives me ideas for my next few posts.




Still using the invitation remnants I again stamped the Fiskars quote onto the orange cardstock and inked the edges. This time I carried the background swirl stamp onto the quote. It was then adhered to the brown paper--all Bazzill. On this photo you can see where I used a fantastic swirl stamp from Little Yellow Bicycle. I applied three different shades of ink to the stamp and did primary and secondary generation stamping to achieve this effect. I absoloutely adore this stamp set. You will see more of these images on cards and scrapbook pages I create.


To add more creativity I ran the three tabs through a Cuttlebug folder. Then I used the tourquoise/blue ink and swiped it over the raised portions. This really made the images POP.


I was excited to use some new Petaloo flowers I received. I layered an orange and soft blue felt flower over the polka dot to tone it down a bit and adhered the entire ensemble together with a brown brad. The polkas mimic the dots found on the three squares cardstock at the bottom of the card.

I had so much fun testing my creativity with this series. I really like the randomness and the free form of this card. This also gives me designs for my arsenal. They are simple enough to be mass produced in a short amount of time. They can easily be turned into anniversary, sympathy, get well or whatever card with a simple switch of the quotes.


The final card in the series is cute if not totally unique. Look to find it here in a few days. Maybe over the weekend if I get ambitious.

Of course it is inked with lots of love. Why bother to ink, if it is not Inked in the Name of Love.

Until then.

The Brown Series Two

Hello. This has been a whirlwind weekend for me. It has been read across America week to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss. I read aloud The Gingerbread Cowboy to my son's kindergarten class and then again to a group of sixth graders on Friday. They both loved the western take on an old classic. I love reading. I will devour a good novel in one evening. It has been discovered that I will read to exhaustion.

Upon coming home I hurried to my computer because Kelly at Flowers to Flourishes was having a marathon sale this weekend. You had to register by March 2nd to participate. I was good. I think I only ordered two items on Friday and three on Saturday. The sale ran through Sunday night where I picked up several bargains. I might just faint when I see my invoice. I am so glad that she hooked up with our QVCYahooScrappers group to get this event going. Thanks, Kelly, you ROCK.

Back to the title of my post. This is the second card in my brown/earth tone series. I have been working to step out of my comfort zone. I took a few close ups to give a better idea of some of the techniques I used.

On these two flowers I stamped that fabulous medallion on the orange and a second generation stamp on the lt. blue flower. I adhered the felt centers using a cream colored brad.

On the right hand side of the card I stamped a medallion below the flower to echo the one I decided to use on the flower.

Kind of like a repeat pattern. I also used the medallion to stamp a background on the card since I decided not to use a backer. There is a lot going on with this card, but I wanted the look to remain simple in appearance; therefore, the background effect is achieved through second generation stamping.

If you look closely at the

bottom tags you will notice that the corners have been rounded. Each was embossed using three different circular cuttlebug folders.

After embossing I used a cosmetic wedge to transfer the blue ink to the raised portion of each embossed center.

I then used the Anna Griffin Chocolate Ink to stamp the sentiments from Inkadinkado peg words set. They are intentionally stamped at an angle.

The main quote is from Fiskars and is stamped in chocolate on orange which is inked in blue and matted on brown cardstock--all from Bazzill. Of course to finish off the card I edged the entire perimeter in blue ink. There is ink all over this card. I really love the title quote: Life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy yours and spread a little Ink in the Name of Love along the way.

Until then.