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For this card I chose to let the 3D image hang over the borders of the focal paper a bit. I like how it makes it a little bit more casual feeling than it would be if everything were constrained.
This card also uses a clear sticker but in this case it is small gold print.
Ddd
I spent a block of time punching out and assembling 3D elements from die-cut sheets one day. Then I spent another big block of time matching focal papers to each image. A third block of time was devoted to selecting base cards and then I spent a final session selecting text and embellishments. All that prep work so I could 'sit cown and whip out 20 cards' - yeah right!
Most of the cards used table scraps and this one features a crackle print scrapbook paper. I think this is the last little scrap of this and I am going to miss it.
I used a clear sticker for the text on this one.
Ddd
I also picked up another book at the Goodwill store for $1.99. This one is on scrapbooking:
Well, it USED to be a book - now it is a pile of this:
It came with a lot of clip art - both black & white and color - in the back, some templates, lots of quote blocks and other artwork scattered throughout.
What it will be - card parts, mostly. Though the soccer ball and baseball templates made their way into a recent quilt!
My other great find at the store was a new roll of glittered wrapping paper for $.99 - It was a good day.
Ddd
Another trip to the Goodwill where I found this book for $1.99.
It is a 'flip book' with separate top, center and bottom panels for the different 'levels' of rooms. So you can flip to the kitchen section and select a green ceiling, blue walls and a yellow floor (yikes).
I totally deconstructed the book and saved the color blocks. Some are textured as they were walls in tiles, stucco, wood, etc. The rest are solid colors but are sometimes rectangles, sometimes strips, etc. This is what I ended up with:
As to 'what it will be'... this is fodder for my stash of papers. I will use some as backgrounds, some to stamp on, to make tags, to make mats, to punch elements - it's just more stuff to play with.
Ddd
I made 16 cards for the Operation Write Home Stars and Stamps blog Fall Challenge. They are featuring one of them as a sample card to encouage others to make fall cards to send to the troops. These are used by soldiers to write home to their families.
I used stamping on all of them, colored with copic markers and then matched up with scrapbook papers, printed cardstocks, ribbons, brads and such. For some of them I used card sketches I had drawn some time ago, for others I just winged it.
They are posting one of them. Here are all of them that I made.
Stamps: Pear, Script Background, Greeting
And there you have it...
Ddd
I combined two separate illustrations from the stamp catalog for this little scene. The girl came with a flower in her hand and one on her hat. I colored these the same as the group of growing flowers which I split into two and mounted some in front of and some behind her. Now it looks like she's sitting in the garden.
The music background is from a roll of printed tissue and the green band is a table scrap. There is a loose floral behind these that is a piece of scrapbook paper and I mounted on an olive folded card base.
I found a printed tag in my stash that had a music background on it. I used some yellowish distress ink to bring it into the same color range as the background and then stamped the greeting on it. I added copper brads to pinched holes then mounted to the card with foam tape.
Ddd
I decided, if I were going to continue in making quilts, I would just have to add a Topic category for them.
This is the 4th grandkid quilt and the 5th total, since I made the wall hanging for myself. This one is for a 6-year-old who is a big fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. I used the team colors plus 4 fabrics depicting the balls of his favorite team sports: Baseball, Football, Basketball, and Soccer. Then I made an almost lifesize ball for each of these sports in padded fabric, applique and embroidery then appliqued them to the quilt. The center N is not as padded but still has some loft to it.
Then the borders were all stitched with words pertaining to that particular sport:
The red corners are stitched with stars and the red borders have general sports and Husker words like 'team' 'coaches' 'red shirts' and nebraska cornhuskers'.
I think this, like the others will be a big hit.
Ddd
Completed another quilt for a grandchild. I designed this using the Attic Windows setting and chose fields of running horses for the panes, dark and light for the window sills and a barn wood print for the sashing. The 10-year-old horse fanatic is going to LOVE this birthday gift.
I quilted this 'in the ditch' around all the sashing and then free-motioned horse heads in each of the window panes, alternating the direction the horses face.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Ddd
Although this is the THIRD quilt created for my grandkids I am posting it second since the birthday of the other one I've done won't be until tomorrow. This one went out in May for my grandson.
I designed a landscape using log cabin blocks and stitched it in 4 fabrics for each of the 5 color bands plus white for the clouds and snow. Once it was pieced, quilted and bound I made all the origami pieces of 9-inch cuts of fabric. Raw edges are sealed with Steam-a-Seam 2. These are appliqued to the surface with invisible thread (machine zig-zag).
My grandson who is crazy for origami will really like this full-size quilt.
The origami steps and layout were crafted using instructions from Miranda Van Beek and were inspired by m.c.escher.
Ddd
Have you been keeping count? If so, you know that today is the last (8th) of these floral cards with the chunky stamp.
The background paper pulls out more of the dark center from the stamped flower and adds some flowers of its own. I chose to mount the stamped image in the upper left and balanced it out with an organza ribbon with a bow at the lower right.
Ddd
When someone sent me these white bows with pearl centers I couldn't image what I might use them for. Now I know!
I think the oriental printed cardstock background sets a different 'tone' for this card. I used an apricot folded card base to echo the flower color so the bows are used to echo the white of the stamped panel.
Ddd
This is my favorite of the layouts and color combinations, but not my favorite of the flowers. This was a 1st generation impression and also the first I traced around. I think the inking on the line is too bold.
The background is the reverse of the pink branch cardstock and the scalloped edge is die-cut in the 6 x 6 pad. It looks black but is really a rich chocolate brown.
A piece of matching ribbon is tied in a simple knot and mounted with a glue dot.
Ddd
On a whim I tried building a ribbon rose directly on a large clue dot. Worked beautifully! I added two ribbon tails and then adhered it to spruce up this card.
The Background paper is more busy on this card than the rest so I kept everything else really simple.
Still working with table scraps so you gotta use what is at hand.
Ddd
I pulled out a variety of green cardstock and added panel upon panel to make this simple card. I used an apricot ribbon around the front panel to echo the flower color.
You can tell this is an earlier generation stamping because the image is much darker.
Ddd
The branch paper makes a reappearance today along with a diecut edge cardstock. I went a little crazy with the paper cutter and this panel ended up the wrong size. Oh well, change of plans!
EDITED TO INCLUDE THE PHOTO I FORGOT!
I used an oval to cut the focal image and added black peel-off stickers and rhinestones along the right edge of the folded green card base.
Ddd
As promised (threatened?) I'm offering a view of the rest of the cards I made with the coloring sticks. These feature different scriptures, different panel shapes, and different intensities of impressions (depending on the generation). So I pulled out the table scraps and made the cards original as well.
Today's card features a swirly Cuttlebug background paper, a sheer ribbon, and a 'branch' printed cardstock panel. There are stickles on the stamen of the bloosom.
Ddd
When I was stamping the lilies for yesterday's card I made a couple of extras in case I messed up the coloring. I didn't, so had two left over. I colored up a full one and then colored up the focal area and punched it out with the large square punch.
A thin border of green showcases the spotlight bloom and it is popped up on foam. I used a Nestabilities die to cut out the main image and used the next larger size to cut a green panel to frame it out.
A maroon folded card base supports a speckled panel of scrapbook paper. I added a scripture stamp before mounting the pictorial elements to the front.
Ddd
I admired a card made with three squares with oversized florals offset in them so decided to make my own. I started with a stamp of lilies and made three impressions. These were colored with Copic markers, punched out with a large square punch, corners rounded, and the edges distressed with 'old paper' distress ink.
The rust printed cardstock had the fancy edge die-cut so I mounted it over folded green card and stamped a scripture onto it. The edge looked a bit unfinished until I added pen 'stitching' around it.
Ddd
Here's another technique that I had on my list of things to try. I first scored my white cardstock at 3/4 inch in both directions. Then I stamped a blue image 4 times to create a background. It is important to NOT press too hard because you don't want the stamp to go down into the score lines. Then I used a different blue to distress all over, taking care to not go down into the score lines. Finally, I used three blue watercolor pencils to color in the butterflies and went over them with an aquabrush.
If you do accidently go down into the cracks here and there you can use a white gel pen to trace in the grout to cover up the blue.
I added a Shapeabilities butterfly in two layers. The dark blue is mounted flat to the card and the lighter blue is embossed in the Cuttlebug and has the wings bent up and is traced around with blue Stickles.
I stamped a scripture on another piece of the lighter blue and cut with a Nestabilities die. Everything is mounted on a blue folded card base.
I liked this so much I made another one almost like it:
I have had a set of 'coloring things' in my supplies for several years but never really had any idea how to use them properly until now. They are marked 'Silky' and they come in a tube like a glue stick. Very strong pigment in a stick that is water soluble. Hmmm.
Well, I saw Donna Downey playing with something similar on her blog the other day and it set me to thinking about how I might make use of these 'coloring things' (not sure what to call them).
What I did was take out a solid stamp and misted it with water. Then I used two tones of pink, two of green, and one of yellow-gold and colored right on the stamp. Another mist of water and then I stamped on plain white cardstock. I was able to mist again and again, getting 4 impressions before I had to color the stamp again.
This image is one of the 4th generations. When I had all of these stamped out I dired with the heat gun and then sketched around the image with a Pigma pen.
I used the set of Stampin Up scriptures that I got at Goodwill and placed text over the image. Then it was cut with a Nestabilities die. In this case I also distressed the edges before mounting on a scalloped cardstock.
I added a bit of yellow striped ribbon under the scallops and then glued to a green folded card base.
While I was experimenting with these supplies I made a total of 8 flower panels ( 2 sets of 4 generations ). This means that you'll be seeing several similar cards coming up. I do have plans to share some other techniques first, though.
Ddd
