Can you find FOUR embossing plates used on this card?

1) Obviously, the background. This is a large-sized folder which was impressed onto white cardstock and colored using a 'denim' distress ink pad and a brayer to color the raised portions.

2) Little house and trees are a winter border.

3) Dotted swiss folder was impressed in the left upper portion.

4) Distressed stripes folder was used in a very small portion to carry the 'ground' area across from the house scene.

Folders 2-4 are used on a white-core blue cardstock and then the surface was sanded to expose the white. This panel was bordered with white cardstock and then mounted with foam dots for lift. 

I added a blue text sticker at the top and then places 5 clear snowflake stickers across the text and scene.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Ha! Still using up these cats I stamped on yellow plaid paper. I stamped quite a few not knowing what I would be doing with them. In this case I cut one in full and one without the tail. When popped up on 3D glue dots it makes him stand away from the card surface. I also gave him glittery eyes and drew new whiskers as the originals are outside the face area and get cut away.

Three backing papers are scraps from an old scrapbook page-a-day calendar. I went a little crazy with the faux stitching: around the green checked paper, around the colorful patchwork, and around the cat! I added three holographic green sticker squares at the upper right as a space filler that would carry on the green and the square elements.

The text is a Cuttlebug die cut that started out orange. It didn't have enough contrast with the background so I did some faux stitching on it... wrong! So I colored it black with markers... looked flat and blah. So I traced it out with Stickles... YES!

A golden folded cardstock base echoes color from the patchwork layer.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Today I am presenting an unsolicited book review. I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble last month and I am enthralled with it:

Paper Transformed: A Handbook of Surface-Design Recipes and Creative Paper Projects by Julia Andrus, published by Quarry Books, 2007 (ISBN 1-59253-370-1).

Beautiful photographs abound, beginning with the title page:

Chapters 1-7 are all about methods for getting color, texture and pattern onto your papers. These include products as well as techniques, and include step-by-step instructions using lots of photos. Each is demonstrated on a tag as a common frame of reference. This keeps the focus on learning the process rather than working toward a specific finished product:

Many of these processes have additional tips so that one may make educated choices in varying the technique for a different result:

After teaching these techniques for transforming your papers, Chapter 8 presents twenty-four fabulous projects constructed from these papers, including full directions. These include game boards, journals, cards, containers, home decor, and more:

If you have any desire to take your papercrafts beyond cutting up and gluing together commercial designer papers, then this book is for you.

Highly recommended.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Following up on yesterday's project, I had another idea - to make faux amber with embedded bugs.

For these I applied bug stickers to butterscotch colored cardstock and attached the flat-backed marbles with clear glue. After drying I cut around the base of the marbles and used 'butterscotch' and 'caramel' alcohol inks to color the marbles, allowing it to drip down and color the backing as well. Continuing to tap the glass with the ink on a felt pad makes lines that look like 'faults' in the amber. These were then mounted on round magnets using glue dots.

Here is the full set:

And the 6 individual magnets:

I will likely decorate a tin to enclose these so they can become a gift set.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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A little brainstorm I had to try out... I started with flat-backed marbles and applied clear glue and added a mixture of Beedz (hole-less beads - very small). Then mounted with more clear glue on white cardstock and dried. After this I cut around the marble and mounted with glue dot to little gumball machines I had drawn and cut out of metallic cardstock. More glue dots hold them to magnets so they can tack notes to the refrigerator.

Here is the whole set of 4:

These are the two gold ones:

And the two silver ones:

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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A little outing the other day to attend a concert at a winery. What a beautiful setting it was.

This was the view from the tasting room:

Then we had a stunning sunset right behind the performers:

Loved the cloud formations:

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Kermit has a neighbor. This little brown frog lives down by the hose bib pipe where I water the garden. There is an expansion board between the concrete foundation and the concrete patio. He has made a little house for himself where they have opened apart.

Surprisingly, he stays under the board as long as it is dry. If the board gets wet he comes out. Frogs who don't like to be wet?!?!?! 

Strange.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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(because it's a 'trumpet flower')

This is a vine in our back yard, which climbs 10 feet tall up the end of the deck on lattice. The hummingbirds LOVE it, but I got tired of waiting for one to come along to photograph.

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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I've used flowers quite a bit on projects lately and wanted to share the source. I went to the wedding section at Michaels and found this package. I mixes white and cream, fabric and paper, plain and glittered, multiple styles and sizes.

I have colored these with alcohol ink, watercolor pencils, markers and plan to try out some air-brushing on them. I have stacked them, put in rhinestone centers, attached with brads and glue dots.

Cost for 225 pieces? $4.99. REALLY! And they are so versatile that this is a super bargain.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

Updated: Saturday, 28 August 2010 11:59 PM PDT

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Another challenge: make a folded paper frame and use it on a card, box, etc. I chose to use mine on a card. I already had the image stamped and circle-cut and had the scalloped circle to borker it already selected.

So I made the frame and mounted this on two patterned cardstocks. I added corner stickers, a ribbon bow, and a tag upon which I used a burgundy rub-on, hand lettering, and a brad.

I chose the folded cardstock base using a light peach from the pink pattened card.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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I colored up this little girl stamped image and combined her with table scraps to create this fall card. The background is more of the calendar photo, the wall is some Cuttlebugged and distressed cardstock, and there are three strips of designer paper scraps.

I used a piece of raffia to tie the bow, added a gold peel-off sticker and hand lettered the remainder of the greeting. The pumpkin beside her is a clear sticker.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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I've been seeing handmade flowers everywhere on the net and some of them look like a rosette. I had a brilliant notion to try using the paper crimper on strips of paper to see if I could replicate some. This is what I came up with.

I think it went pretty well. I did find that you have to go back over the entire strip and sharpen the creases do it will flatten into a medallion. But using the crimper to set those creases to begin with is a giant head start.

I used scraps from the paper weaving projects and then combined them to make a card.

I think I will change out the text sticker to something else as this doesn't seem to resonate with these images.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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This card is under the heading 'fantastic folds' but it really is simply a tri-fold card.

The top layer (chocolate+ice cream) swings open on a left hinge and the craft stick is encased in the ice cream of the right side and the back. These two layers do not open.

The chocolate layer is textured cardstock which I cut with a deckle nestabilities die on one edge. I folded and cut the rounded corners on the ice cream layers and then glued on the chocolate and trimmed to match on all sides.

The text is a clear thick acrylic sticker that I mounted on matching white cardstock and trimmed around.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Not so long ago I shared two cards using a text-filled heart stamp. Here's another.

For this one, I cut the hearts in half and reversed the halves to create dragonfly wings. A little scrap of white mulberry paper anchors it on the page while the bordering doodle lines give it a little motion.

I cut apart a silk flower and used the single and double petals to enchace the wings. Each is graced with a rhinestone, which also define the head and body.

The white text is a rub-on and that above it is hand-written in black ink.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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This stamped image is from my stash of ones sent me in a swap. I colored it up with my new Copic markers and fussy cut it.

Background is done with two Cuttlebug folders and inked with distress inks. Girl is glued directly to background (after I gave her a nose and mouth, because I think she looks creepy without them).

I used the same color to mat the layers as is in the wall, and tied a checked ribbon around the top layers. The green dot layer echoes the dots in the vines behind the image in shape and color.

More red is introduced by the selection of the text sticker.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Today we're back to the paper weaving. This time I worked in a monochrome palette with a light plaid and a floral - still with 1 cm strips in plain weave. I used a deep green paper as a mat and layered this over an antique print. Both the antique print and the woven layer have been run through a texture folder and the text layer was sanded for distressing and torn around the edges.

I pulled the original plaid back in as background corners, added it all to a deep green folded cardstock base and then did some pen 'stitching' around several elements.

Text is a long sticker that I cut into sections. Then I put mini 'button' brads through flower centers (layering some) and attached them with glue dots.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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Another challenge - use a photograph to make a card.

For this I chose a portion of a calendar photo. I added 'vines' with stamping and used a black pen to add details to the pumpkins. A stamp was used for the greeting as well.

I used yellow card for the folded base, a photo mat, and the corner scrolls which were cut with a Cuttlebug die. A background paper of antique printed matter adds another layer of interest.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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New assignment - make a card using paper-weaving.

I used a striped paper and a tiny floral, both cut into 1 cm strips and did a standard over/under weave. I framed it with layers of complementary papers on foam dots. Because it reminded me of a quilt I added an overlay of old sheet music and a text sticker, double-matted.

I found the rounded corners on the main panel complemented those made by the nestabilities label dies I used for the 'window'.

The folded card base pulls more colors from the woven piece.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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And finally.....

... the end of the remodel project was to replace an ugly wall-mounted air conditioner with a fabulous new 4-foot round window. That was accomplished and the wall repainted to match the rest of the room (very light blue).

Here is the diningroom before the window (the air conditioner is behind the painting):

and here is the final result:

Brilliant!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 6:00 AM PDT

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