BLENDS AND ALCOHOL SNOWFLAKE

Do you remember back in early October when I introduced to you the experimentiing I'd been doing with mixing together Stampin' Blends and rubbing alcohol? That post and its result can be seen here. My subject matter was a stunning red foil diecut leaf on a background of pinks and reds.

Rather than re-inventing the wheel and telling you <once again> just how to do this technique, just click on the blue "here" for directions on doing it. 

For this card, I used a few Stampin' Blends in blues to create the background on the vellum. As mentioned in the October post, the creator has only a small amount of control when playing with Stampin' Blends, rubbing alcohol and vellum. You think you are working towards a certain effect only to be thwarted part way through. So you end up improvising and being happy with what your results. They are all truly lovely.

When looking at the closeup below, doesn't it sort of remind you of ink refills and shaving cream?  I really don't know which of these techniques is less messy. But they are both fun and both give good results, so are each worthwhile in their own right.

The dies I used to make the lovely two-layered snowflake are from the So Many Snowflakes die set found on page 165 of the Annual Catalog. I added a Pastel Pearl to the center. To keep it distinct from the busy background, I popped it up with a single Stampin' Dimensional.

The beautiful blue I used in both the snowflake and the frame is the retired Seaside Spray cardstock. I am so sad that color is gone, as it is exceptional for snowflakes and wintry crafting. The frame is done using the Scalloped Contour dies on page 158 of the Annual Catalog. By cutting the vellum to just the right size to fit inside this frame, there is no worry about adhesive showing through. Yay!

Have you given this technique a try? Did you have any problems? Were you satisfied with your results? 

Blended

Smiles.

#dailycreating JULY 2021

Below you will find 14 of the drawings from July 2021 that I did as part of Terry Runyan's #dailycreating group, in which we are encouraged to do something creative each day.

Every Sunday afternoon, Terry posts a daily list of prompts for the upcoming week. These prompts are optional, but oftentimes very welcome as a jumping off point if your idea muse has gone on vacation. On occasion, I deviate from the prompts; most time I follow them.

Above each drawing, I will note what the day's prompt was if I followed it, as well as any other pertienent information about the subject if I have it.

#swimming

spotted seal

#frogurday

#bikini day

#vacation

#fashion day

mexican hairless dog

#camelurday

#farm animal

#favorite color

rainbow lorikeet - australia

#beach

dungeness crab

animalurday

echidna - australia

#sprinkles

#owlurday

great horned owl

#thing on thing

himalayan monal

#tiger

Hmmm. In adding the prompts, I think I need to give a bit of an explanation. Terry used to designate all Saturdays as #caturday. Then, for non-cat lovers, she added #dogurday. For some reason, a few months ago, she also added on as an optional prompt #animalurday. So, when you see a prompt followed by "urday", that was my choice of animal or bird to work with that particular Saturday.

Also, I know I've said this in the past, but it bears repeating. Wednesdays are always #thing on thing. Terry almost always draws a head with a cat on top. I have taken it upon myself to consider anything a little extraneous on a bird's head -- tuft, crest, weird hanging things -- as considered #thing on thing. So, that's what I personally always do on Wednesdays.

Just a reminder that these are my personal drawings and not to be copied or used in any way whatsoever without my express consent. I will be happy to make Giclee prints of any of my drawings. Thanks for understanding!

#dailycreating

Smiles.

NUTTY SNOWFLAKE

You might be asking yourself, "Why did Linda give this post the title 'Nutty Snowflake'?" You will have to read on to discover my reasoning.

I have been doing a lot of online shopping this season. When a package for my son-in-law arrived, I was annoyed at the multitude of packing peanuts that were in the oversized box. Grrr. I hate those things.

But, wait! They are actually ART SUPPLIES! Yessss!

Look at the background of my snowflake card.

I used a few of those pesky packing peanuts as STAMPS! By picking up Pacific Point ink with the ends of the peanuts, I created my unique background.

I thought my peanut stamped background sort of resembled snow flurries. Yes? So adding a crispy white diecut snowflake to a backdrop of diecut Pacific Point, I added a focal point to the snow storm.

Follow my tutorial to see just how you can upcycle those annoying peanuts in a good, useful way.

SUPPLIES:

White cardstock

Pacific Point cardstock

Pacific Point ink

Die Cutting Machine

Snowflake die

Encircled in Beauty dies (page 159, Annual Catalog)

Pastel Pearls (page 143, Annual Catalog)

Stampin' Dimensionals

Packing Peanuts

DIRECTIONS:

This card measures 4 1/4" x 4 1/4". Take a piece of white cardstock that is cut to 8 1/2" x 4 1/4". Fold it in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

To this, add a 4" square of Pacific Point cardstock. Set this aside for now.

Cut a 3 3/4" square of white cardstock. Use a styrofoam packing peanut -- yes! A packing peanut! -- for your stamp. Gently dab one end of a peanut in the Pacific Point ink and stamp it anywhere onto the white square. Keep reinking your peanut stamp and continue adding to the white cardstock, leaving a bit of white space between stamps. You don't need to add the snowstorm to the center of the cardstock as that portion will be covered up.

NOTE: Sometimes the peanuts have funky ends. Either turn it to the other end, or choose another peanut to work with.

From Pacific Point cardstock, cut a piece with one of the dies from the Encircled in Beauty dies. 

Using a snowflake die that measures about 3 1/2" in diameter, cut out a snowflake from white cardstock. Use glue sparingly to add the snowflake to the blue background.

Use Stampin' Dimensionals to add the snowflake panel to the center of the nutty snowstorm.

Add a pearl to the center of the snowflake.

Have you ever used a packing peanut as a stamp? What do you do with them when they arrive in a package? 

Nutty

Smiles.

THANKFUL BUNCHES

Thanksgiving Day is over, but it's always appropriate to be thankful. So I thought I'd share one more thankful card. But, this one definiately does not have a fall feel.

Are you familiar with Cloisonne? This card reminds me of the cloisonne art form. Click on the link to see what I mean.

The background of this card started out its life as a simple piece of gold printed Designer Series Paper. I colored in all the flowers with Stampin' Blends, leaving the gold showing prominently at the edges.. 

The colors of Blends that I used were: Light Melon Mambo, Dark Just Jade, Dark Mango Melody, Light Cinnamon Cider and Light and Dark Misty Moonlight. 

It took awhile to color in so many flowers, but I think the time and effort were totally worth it.

I decided that, after all that effort, I wanted as much of it to show on the finished card as possible, so I opted for a simple die cut sentiment. Once I cut out the "thankful", I adhered it to a small piece of the gold foil cardstock that I had matted the flowers with. Once it was adhered, I cut around the letters, leaving a nice gold border and added that to the bottom of the card with Stampin' Dimensionals.

This was a fun and completely satisfying project. What are your feelings about coloring a solid piece of printed cardstock? I find coloring with my Stampin' Blends to be so relaxing. And it always turns out so lovely.

Faux

Cloisonne 

Smiles.

GEOMETRIC THANKS

Today's card features another Dollar Tree find!

I've always been a huge fan of a technique from long ago referred to as Faux Silk. This technique utilizes some form of a tissue-like paper. Commonly crafters use tissue paper used for gifts. However, there are other materials that work equally as well, and often give an even more interesting look. 

When I found this pack of geometric patterned napkins in the party aisle of Dollar Tree, I thought they would make a wonderful background for a fallish card.

Adding a sunflower made with the Sunflowers Dies against my geometric faux silk background yielded a lovely autumn card. As seen below, by using a few Stampin' Dimensionals on the flower against the background, you get some charming 3D feeling.

Because I love the results of using the Sunflowers dies,  I thought I would show you a closeup of the look of it against the napkin background.

Are you interested in learning how to do the Faux Silk technique using a party napkin? Read on for the detailed tutorial.

Of course, the colors you use in your own card will depend on the color palette of the napkin you choose. So, the following supplies are based on my card.

SUPPLIES:

Cajun Craze cardstock

Early Espresso cardstock

Marigold Morning cardstock (retired, but a great color if you still have some around!)

Geometric napkin.

White scrap cardstock for the base

Die Cutting Machine

Sunflowers dies (page 166, Annual Catalog)

Thanks die

Stampin' Dimensionals

Glue Stick (a glue stick really does work best for this technique)

Old Olive ribbon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Fold a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of Cajun Craze cardstock in half, creasing it well with a bone folder.

Add to this card base a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Early Espresso cardstock.

Take a scrap of white cardstock that measures 3 3/4" x 5". You will be adding crumpled designed napkin to this piece. 

Crumple a piece of napkin (the top ply only. Separate the plys before beginning this project.) that measures about 4" x 5 1/4" in your hands a few times, slightly flattening it each time slightly. Cover one side of the entire scrap of cardstock with glue stick, from corner to corner and edge to edge. This is very important. Carefully lay the napkin, design side up, onto the glued piece. Without rubbing the napkiin flat, simply press it down until it is completely glued down. YOU WANT CREASES AND VEINS! When it is thoroughly dried, use scissors to trim the napkin to the edge of the cardstock.

A note here: Normally when doing this technique, I cut the napkin or tissue large enough so I can fold the edges onto the back side of the scrap piece. But the design on this particular napkin was very narron. I didn't realize that when I purchased the pack. So I didn't have much design to work with. Thus I needed to trim with scissors. If you find a napkin large enough, I would recommend creasing the edges to the back of the glued piece and fastening them in place. It gives a neater, more finished look.

Take a 5" length of Old Olive ribbon and, after adding a dry adhesive to the back of the ribbon, place it over the napkin piece about 1/2" from the bottom, taping the ends on the back side. Add this piece over the brown on the card base.

From Early Espresso cardstockk, die cut the word "thanks". Using glue sparingly on the back of the word, adhere it to the ribbon.

From Marigold Morning cardstock, die cut the solid portion of the sunflower. From Early Espresso cardstock, die cut the open portion as well as the center of the sunflower. Turning the petals of the two pieces of sunflower until you make them match, adhere the two parts together. Add the sunflower center with a Stampin' dimensinal.

With a few Stampin' Dimensionals, add the sunflower to the upper portion of the napkin, leaving equal borders at the top and the sides.

Have you ever tried the Faux Silk technique before? If you have, what tissue-like paper did you use? Were you happy with the result? Do you use the technique often?

Faux

Smiles

(No, they're REAL smiles!)