The stamp style for day 4 of the class was 'graphic'. I have several in this style so it was easier to come up with ideas for following the lessons. The first one is very simple. The flower was stamped with yellow chalk ink to create a background on white cardstock. On separate white cardstock I stamped three of the flowers in pink and 5 green leaves. These were all trimmed with a thin white border. I mounted the leaves and then the flowers with a combination of ATG tape and foam tape for dimension. Then I pierced holes in the centers of the flowers and added button brads. The panel was then trimmed to size and added to a colored card base and a sentiment was bordered and popped up on foam.

I used a graphic wheel set to stamp over 4 colors of cardstock with different colors of chalk ink. Then I cut all the pieces into 1 inch squares and reassembled them on cardstock with Xyron adhesive. I trimmed to even edges and tied some scrappers floss on. Then I cut and applied a sentiment strip. This first one on a green background got a border around the sentiment and multiple strands of floss.

This one on a burgundy background got only a single strand of floss but I added a button.

The next technique is double embossing. I started with patterned paper and stamped four impressions with a quilt block image using Versamark ink. This was embossed with colored powder. Then I used Versamark ink again with a graphic pattern block and embossed with metallic powder. These four blocks were then cut out and mounted with a little interior space on a coordinating color cardstock. I added matching metallic sticker trim and framed with a coordinating color border. A sentiment was cut from a designer paper and bordered before mounting with foam tape. The panel was then added to a square card base.

This first one is done with green and silver on a very light greenish designer paper.

The next uses red and gold on a brown patterned paper.

Then I went on to stamping on transparencies with white Staz-on ink. I first used a set of three clear stamps of graphic patterned hearts. I stamped repeatedly over a full sheet of transparency so I would have multiple pieces to play with. For the first one I layered with designer paper and pierced holes in the heart centers. The holes were used to mount heart brads to hold the two pieces of material together. I used a gold foil rubon on the right side of the card and applied a fold greeting sticker on the lower left. This is mounted on a barely pink card base.

The second of these got a chocolate toned music print background. I added a strip of tissue tape and two silver borders along with a silver sticker greeting. The two pieces of material are held together this time with four copper corner brads and I placed it on a tan card base.

BRACE YOURSELF --- I Finished off the day with Christmas Cards!

I had a great graphic stamp of an ornament and used it on transparency with white Staz-on ink. I cut my transparency in to 5 pieces of varying sizes and got out some green Christmas papers and some metallic red stickers that I just picked up on sale. For all of these cards I used mini glue dots behind the ornaments to adhere the transparency to the backing paper.

The first uses a full panel of the transparency, silver peel-off border stickers and the red foil greeting. I added a red 'nail head' sticker to dot the 'i'.

The next smaller piece of transparency makes a nice breaking point to mount the large text. I used two 'nail heads' to reinforce adhesion on the two sides.

An even shorter piece fit perfectly above the border print on this designer paper. I used the foil word sticker on the edges of the border and added a 'nail head' for the red nose.

The next two scraps were formatted so the cards had to be horizontal. I used the bigger piece as a border and tacked the edges down with gold sticker trim. red foil text in script fit this format perfectly.

This one uses up the scraps of the transparency, the nail heads, and the stickers. Not my favorite layout of the bunch, but acceptable.

WOW, 12 cards for this lesson and 5 cards added to the Christmas stash!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Thursday, 9 August 2012 8:55 AM PDT

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For the first card I arranged the entire alphabet on a Fiskars stamp press and removed one letter. I stamped on designer paper using archival ink and trimmed the panel. This was mounted with a thin black border and offset on a colored card base. I stamped the sentiment on another patterned paper and trimmed close before bordering with black. I added gold trim on two sides and popped the sentiment up on foam tape.

I used the same letter arrangement for the next card but with a different paper. Then I hand-drew little banners around each of the letters and colored them with watercolor markers. This panel was trimmed and mounted with a black border. I stamped the sentiment on another patterned paper and trimmed it like a tab. This is mounted under the edge of the main panel over an orange card base.

Next I put the U back on the block and replaced the L with a little heart. I inked the whole thing with victorial velvet distress ink and then colored the I, U and heart with black marker before stamping on patterned paper. I used a shadow stamp and distress ink to feature the message letters. After rounding the corners I distressed the edges and mounted to a colored catd base. The card base also got the corners rounded.

I next placed only the letters for this message on the block, inked with Versamark and embossed with clear powder. Then I used blue, pink and gold to mist it and wiped the color off the embossing. This allows the original white cardstock to show through the message. I trimmed this down to a wide band and backed with a thin burgundy border. This is mounted on printed cardstock and again bordered with burgundy. I mounted folded snippets of sheer burgundy ribbon with glue dots and attached sheer pink flowers over them with foam dots.

For the last card I switched sets and placed numbers on my Fiskars stamp press. I used watercolor paper to create a background with the distress ink wrinkle-free technique. I stamped the numbers four times to get full coverage and then cut back to the appropriate size panel. I laid down a strip of striped paper and three stripes of polka dot paper. I punched three hearts from patterned paper and glued them down. I used a Sharpie to draw in candle wicks and white gel pen to give the edges of the elements a pop.

So after doing all the projects for the class I had lots of extra parts and pieces I has stamped out while I had the letters on the stamping block. I folded some coordinating base cardstock and made 5 more for my OWH stash.

Straightforward use of the last piece of the rainbow stamp pad backgrounds created on day 1 of class. I banded both parts in black on this one.

Similar treatment with designer paper and the banding is in dark green.

Took away the banding for this one but added solid lines around the elements.

On this one I pierced all around the elements and connected the holes with a fine line faux stitching.

And finally, I rounded the corners of everything and added faux stitching (without the pierced holes)

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Thursday, 9 August 2012 8:35 AM PDT

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Operation Write Home

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 2:00 PM PDT

Updated: Tuesday, 7 August 2012 2:09 PM PDT

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For the first I used the one collage stamp I have that I LOVE - the hydrangea on script. First, the watercolor paper is painted with bright colors. Then the image is stamped with Versamark ink and embossed with clear detail powder. Finally, a black ink pad is used to color over the whole thing and then the ink is wiped off the embossing. This allows the colors to shine through from behind. My original colors got a bit muddied so are not as vibrant as I would like. I cut an aperture in the front of a card and mounted the stamped collage behind it. Then I covered the inside with a full panel to hide the 'uglies'. The sentiment is stamped directly on the card front and I glued on three purple paper flowers as accents.

Next up is a color-blocked card. I stamped on white cardstock with Versamark ink and embossed with clear detail powder. Then I masked off in quarters and applied chalk inks direct-to-paper. I trimmed close to the colored panel and backed it with black card. This is mounted over a white card base using foam tape. I added two gold peel-off leaf stickers to the center and colored inside them with black Copic marker.

Finally, I realized that three of my collage stamps contained butterflies and I had another non-collage stamp with one as well. (That should tell me something about how I am attracted to collage stamps, huh?) I stamped each of these on white cardstock and punched them out with a square punch. On the one that was not quite in keeping with the style of the others I over-stamped it with a script stamp and strengthened the lines in the image with Sharpie marker. The edges of each block were tinted with distress ink and then the butterflies were colored with colored pencils. I used foam tape to mount them in a grid on black cardstock. I treated a pre-stamped sentiment in a similar manner and then adhered all the elements to a green folded card base.

OK, I did my homework for the day. But I can't see this increasing my use of collage stamps.

NOTE: When I was working on cataloging my newer stamps I opened the 'Christmas' drawer and realized that I have a Christmas collage stamp. Now THAT would have been handy to remember earlier!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Tuesday, 31 July 2012 5:24 PM PDT

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Our first lesson was using Cut 'n Dry felt pad and reinkers to make a custom rainbow stamp pad. I've had the material for years and have not used it yet, so 'yay for me'. I used Adriondack reinkers to create an ink pad that is color bands on a diagonal.

This first card uses the dot background on the ink pad. I used the background to feature a foil illustration and tied everything together with rounded corners. The bow is fabric and I added a sticky rhinestone to the center.

Then I made a whole bunch of these backgrounds with the distressed plaid stamp. On this card I stamped the Hero Arts / OWH house and hearts directly on the background. I used a water brush to blend the background colors in these areas. Then I drew stems for the hearts and stamped grass. The greeting is from my pre-stamped file and I rounded two corners and placed stamped and cut out clouds on top.

I used another of the rainbow backgrounds for the next lesson which was using a background stamp to 'kiss off' some of the ink on a solid stamp. I used the same plaid to kiss the flower stamp, added a sentiment and mounted with a scrappers floss winding accent. Here is a full view:

And on the close-up you can see the kissed plaid better. Also note that I added green Stickles to the flower centers.

I also used the rainbow plaid for the background on this next card. The lesson for this one was using the background stamp on a shaped element. I used mine on the die-cut tree creating what I call a 'scotch pine'. LOL! I popped it up on foam tape aligned with the plaid in the background and then added a winding of scrappers floss and sticky rhinestones. I also added a star brad to the tree top. (A very 'country' Christmas)

Next lesson was using a background stamp on patterned paper. I inked the plaid in three shades blue chalk ink and stamped on dotted green paper. I stamped the fence from the Hero Arts / OWH set and cut out the image from the scrapbooking page-a-day calendar. The paper for the text has a subtle white/blue dot pattern and I gave it a twist of scrappers floss. The grass is a stamp of several impressions.

The next lesson was stamping on TWO patterned papers with different ink colors, cutting the papers into shapes and reassembling them. I had two papers that were the same print but one had a cream background and one blue. I stamped both with the dots background and cut 3/4 inch squares. These were reassembled over a xyron background. There was enough for the card front plus so I used the plus to die-cut the hearts. These were then popped up on foam tape. I stamped the tag and tied it to the heart with scrappers floss.

And, finally, I used a smaller background stamp with swirls and butterflies. I inked with one color of chalk ink and stamped and then repeated with 5 other ink colors. I used Distress Markers to color in the butterflies. I placed a strip of dark green to tone down some of the purple that was too bright at the bottom. Then I die-cut two butterflies in colors to match the background and layered them so the top one has its wings raised. The greeting is from the pre-stamped bin.

And so ends Day 1 of the class. If the rest of the class is this informative, I will be VERY happy.

I made extras of the backgrounds while I had the materials out and put together a few more cards. This one is from the 'kissing' technique. I used the dotted background stamp on the solid flower. By adding some cut out leaves and some liquid pearl flower centers I had a great feature panel for a card. I added it to a blue background from the scrapbooking page-a-day calendar and popped up a sentiment on foam tape.

This one with the dots background just got a printed tag cut down for it, a twist of twine and a button. I mounted on colored cardstock base.

Anotherdotted background got a printed tag, an addage ticket, a deckle die-cut panel all backed with black plus two die-cut arrows and a bit of twine for the tag. This one got a denim blue cardstock base.

For this one I used a different background - one I had inked up but set aside from class as I wasn't really pleased with it. Then I found this printed tag and it suddenly had more appeal. I backed both with a thin black border and tied some sheer moss-green ribbon on the diagonals. As a final touch I added some red 'nail head' sticker dots.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

Updated: Tuesday, 31 July 2012 5:32 PM PDT

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I made a card for the Operation Write Home sketch challenge #128. As soon as I saw the sketch I knew what I wanted to do. Here is the sketch:

Ignoring the measurements they provided I stamped up three of the Hero Arts / Operation Write Home houses and five of the clouds from the same set. I cut off a bit of each of the houses to show more of the background papers and used a white gel pen to trim out the roofline, windows and door. Then I added white woodgrain to the door and yellow copic marker to the windows.

I let the clouds run off the edges of the card and trimmed them off. I added hand-drawn birds to the sky and cut down a pre-stamped sentiment to glue at the bottom edge.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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ANOTHER HEART? Will they never end? If they do, I can always stamp more, huh?

I fell in love with this background paper - actually, BOTH of the background papers. I naturally gravitate to the dotted ones but that diagonal plaid is unusual for me. It is pretty busy so the dotted paper tones it down a bit. I pulled colors from the plaid for other elements of the card: brown for the scallops and the sentiment, green for the dotted paper, blue for the heart and the rhinestones.

I wrapped some scrappers floss three times around the decorative paper and knotted it on the right. The heart is popped up on foam tape over the top of the floss.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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From the kits I selected one with some table scraps, a 'ColorMe' tag that I had already colored with chalk ink, and a duck from an old calendar. I selected a sentiment from the pre-stamped bin in the same color as the bird and applied it on the upper edge like a tab.

This will make a nice card for a guy, I think.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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From the scrapbooking page-a-day calendar I culled this printed lacy heart and stamped a framed sentiment into it. I created a background from table scraps and a couple of die-cut swirls.

The heart is popped up on foam tape.

This was created with another one of the 'kits' I assembled a while back.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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We were having a barbeque at the house and I needed to have a new manicure. I REALLY wanted to have little ants on my nails but did not have a stencil for them in my kit. So I settled for dragonflies, of which there were two. But that is A-OK cause I do like me some dragonflies.

I used a metallic magenta for the base color and stamped with the black nail art polish. This time I sealed the tips with an extra coat of topcoat in hopes of making the manicure last a little longer.

As you can see I used the two dragonflies on apternate fingers and also twisted them this way and that for a little more interest.

Here is a close view of two nails.

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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From the old stamp catalog I colored up the balloons and the cake square with matching colors. Then I selected some 'party papers' and bordered them all with teal. Very light teal printed paper was border-punched and used as the background. I then layered the party papers and topped these with the balloons and cake square. The package is a silver peel-off that is backed with more of the teal and popped up on foam. Then I used a ruler to draw in strings for the balloons.

The squiggle streamers are stickers.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I can't even remember what project originally inspired me to stamp SO MANY of these hearts on patterned paper. I just keep running across more of them!

I started the background with a brown script paper and then prepared a layer of dots by rounding the top corners and tearing the bottom edge. Over this I glued MOST of a tag printed with script and used scrappers floss to wind and tie into a bow.

The stamped heart is mounted with foam tape.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Some time ago I made a bunch of these little dresses by cutting Vs out of the sides of diecut scalloped circles. They were originally designed to be strapless but I think adding loops of ribbon makes them even cuter. I also used a strip of the same ribbon for a waistband. I used floral wire to construct the little hanger.

For background I selected a printed tag and then found papers that copied some of the same elements. I aligned one edge of the blue dot paper with a line in the tag and adhered the little dress at an angle.

I added a line of silver peel-off zig-zag border to the bottom and top edges of the dress and then applied a silver peel-off greeting.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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Wh, here I am with another 'kit' card. I wanted to use a collage stamped piece that was a make-and-take from a stamp show I went to several years ago. I love the range of colors in this and the use of masking paper strips to create the grid for stamping.

I used a lavender card base and a printed teal background paper to pull colors from the stamped piece. A yellow punched border is in keeping with the overall pallette and I bordered the stamped purple heart with teal before mounting on foam tape.

Very, very simple - oh, so classy!

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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With an assignment for 'the great outdoors' I took to the skies with my hot air balloon pattern. The background paper selected was so expressive that I went with pastel versions of my standard hot air balloon colors. I think it looks very 'French' in this combination of thread colors and background.

I stamped clouds on decorative papers, trimmed them out and popped them up on foam tape over the edges of the balloon. Then I added some gold peel-off tree-tops to the bottom edge to set the scene.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I have an assignment coming up to stitch a card with a favorite animal. That was easy! We have plack-tail deer on our property and are delighted when the does drop their fawns in the back yard. This year we have two single babies and a set of twins. We've been enjoying watching the pair play together - jumping, playing tag and hide-and-seek.

I found this pattern in the paper embroidery book I own and had to stitch it upin honor of our local babies. I colored the spots black as the instructions specified but, in reality, our fawns have white spots.

I also added more grass than the pattern contained, but it was needed. A little butterfly gold peel-off is perched on the fawn's nose.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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For some project a long time ago I stamped out a bunch of these phoenix on kraft cardstock from my hand-carved stamp. I don't even remember what I was going to make with them!

I pulled out a black and white paper to use but the white was too stark so I toned it with 'old paper' distress ink. So the layers are black folded card base, cream cardstock, toned black and cream patterned paper, stamped image. I also pulled out a variety of die-cut swirl in different neutral tones. Since I had multiples of the image I used a star punch on one and inked the edges in black to make it stand out. This is popped up on foam over the main image.

No sentiment for this one.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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I had one of these frilly heart prints left from the scrapbooking book with pages of images to use. I trimmed it out close around and combined with a tag, sentiment and background using colors pulled from the image.

I rounded the corners to unify the elements.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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This little 'onesie' is another image that I stamped a long time ago for another project and then didn't use it. It is stamped on patterned paper so no coloring was needed. I did, however,do some shading in the leg holes and neckline for dimension.

I just selected a bunch of masculine-looking papers for a fun mix and added a pre-stamped sentiment.

As a finishing touch, I used blue marker to make faux-stitching on two sides of the sentiment block.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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From the old stamp catalog I colored up all the elements of a little garden set and cut them all. Then I arranged them into a little vignette on a tag for this card front. Some bright striped paper and a brown cardstock complete the scene and I added some 3D elements to the upper left for balance.

The sentiment is a gold peel-off.

Ddd

Posted by studio3d@ccgmail.net at 12:01 AM PDT

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