ANOTHER PIRATE BIRTHDAY

 I won't be teaching you any new technique in this post. But, I WILL tell you a little story. Here goes:

Once upon a time, a long time ago, Stampin' Up! released a stamp set that featured a cute little pirate called Ahoy Matey!

My youngest daughter, Sarah, completely fell in love with that set. She informed me that forever and ever, any time I made a card for her, I MUST use this set.

Well, the years rolled on, and I did use Ahoy Matey! in many of her cards. But, I, for one, like a bit of variety, so wasn't completely faithful about using the pirate in EVERY card I made for Sarah.

It became a little more fun to incorporate the pirate -- and sometimes other stamps from the set -- in cards as she became older.

Well, Sarah turned 34 this weekend. So, Mom HAD to use the little constant pirate in her card.

Since her last birthday, Sarah has gotten married and had a little boy, our grandson, Enzo. Sarah is very particular about how Enzo is dressed. I wouldn't dare buy clothing for him, since it would probably not meet with her approval. Suffice it to say, he always looks like a little doll. Sarah Style.

Enzo -- and Balti, her husband -- have become the center of Sarah's world. Because of these couple of mentions, I decided to incorporate a little sleeper -- in Enzo colors -- into the card by hanging it on her hook. And, this is what I came up with:

I used my beloved Prismacolor Pencils to add the color to the card. 

The dots were added with a white gel pen.

I stamped and colored the gift package (from the Birthday Delivery set on page 69), 

then fussy cut it to add to the tip of the pirate's sword. 

Seen from the side, it is obvious that the only dimensional part of this card 

is the gift package, which is popped up with a Stampin' Dimensional.

I know it's not obvious, but the sword is colored with a metallic silver pencil. 

I also added some Wink of Stella to it so it really glistens like metal. 

It actually does in real life.

 So, that is how my little story ends.

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Arrgh

Smiles.

FAUX LINEN TECHNIQUE

Are you familiar with the term "faux" (pronounced FOE)? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the meaning of the word is "imitation". Uh huh. Another word I always think of when I hear the word "faux" is "FAKE". 

Imitation/fake, whatever, anything faux is not the real thing, simply something created to look like the real thing.

Have you heard of the Faux Linen Technique? Just as the name implies, it is a technique made to look like real linen. And I love that technique. 

The Faux Linen Technique is one I haven't visited in some time. But, the other day I was reminded of it, and was immediately inspired to use the beautiful old fashioned Santa Claus in the Father Christmas set on page 114. 

By incorporating the Faux Linen Technique as a background for my Father Christmas figure, I was hoping to achieve an equally old fashioned piece, something that may hark back to the Victorian Era. 

I measured the stamp, and determined that a 2 1/2" x 3 3/4" piece of cardstock would be a good size for this focal point. But, you can't use just any old cardstock for this technique. Glossy cardstock is a must for it to be successful.

The technique is really very simple. Cut your glossy cardstock to size, and with a sanding block (I used an old one that Stampin' Up! carried at one time), lay the sanding surface flat against the cardstock, and drag it straight to the other side. Drag the block with some pressure while sanding because you are scratching off the surface of the glossy cardstock. Do this first vertically, then horizontally. Once you are finished end-to-end in both directions, you should have a fairly even sanded grid on the paper.

The next step is where you will make some decisions, depending on the look you are hoping to achieve. If you want it to look like aged linen, choose a lighter neutral color of ink. In my case, I used Crumb Cake. With a stamping sponge, I sponged the Crumb Cake from just beyond the edges towards the center, all around, concentrating a little more on the the edges.

The photo below was my first attempt. I did an initial layer in Crumb Cake, followed by another in Soft Suede. It looked okay, just maybe a bit dark.

My second try, below, was perfect as far as I was concerned. Where I think I made my mistake was when I stamped Father Christmas onto the Faux Linen piece. I did a great job of stamping him in Early Espresso, but maybe a bit too great. It was just too pronounced. I wanted a softer look to go along with the softly aged look of the Faux Linen I was using for the background. 

NOTE HERE: I maybe could have done a little sanding over the stamped image. Not having tried it, I'm not sure if it would work or not. Just a thought.

My third attempt was quite different in that when I did my vertical and horizontal sanding, I overdid it. I pretty much succeeded in removing all of the glossy surface of the cardstock through my diligent sanding. When it came to inking, the paper was much too porous to take the sponging evenly. In real life, this piece feels pretty cool. But it is just too distressed looking for my taste.

Back to the drawing board once again. I returned to the softer sanding as shown in my second sample. Remember, in that sample, the only thing I didn't like about it was that the Santa was stamped too darkly.

So, in this last sample, I made a concerted effort to not stamp Father Christmas as carefully and with not as much pressure. I was so happy with this result that I ended up making it into a card.

PLEASE NOTE: Do you see how beautifully the scratches in the Glossy cardstock made with the sanding block pick up and absorb the ink just the right amount so you can actually envision this as a fine linen cloth?

Anyway, as I said, I liked this guy so much that I created a card using the piece. I decided to use this card for my next Stamp-In Workshop on November 13. Thus, I don't want to expose the entire card so my girls will be surprised when they come to the workshop!

Grab some Glossy cardstock, a sanding block and neutral ink and a sponge and get to work manufacturing Faux Linen! If you've ever done the technique, share your experiences with us!

Faux

(No, REAL!)

Smiles.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween!

Spooky

Smiles.

WATERCOLOR AUTUMN

I know I've talked about this technique in several of my posts. You know, the technique in which you ink up an acrylic block, spritz it with water and stamp it onto watercolor paper? It's probably one of the most unpredictable techniques you can do. No two will ever be the same. Ever.

Anyway, I've done this with smaller clear blocks, but never the E Block (page 217), which measures 3 7/16" x 4 7/16". This is the perfect size to use as a background for a card, because it encompasses so much space.

For this card, I used two of the new In Colors of ink: Berry Burst and Lemon Lime Twist. I brought the ink pads directly to the clear block, and using as small of a portion of the ink pad as possible, I randomly stamped the ink onto the block until most of the block was covered with ink. If course, when you combine green and red, which essentially this combination is, you will get brown where the colors overlap.

I was going for a fall-ish look for this background, so even a bit of rustiness, tans and browns was perfect for my purpose. 

After I spritzed the inked-up block with water, I stamped it down onto thick watercolor paper. I left it dry almost completely naturally because I love the look that is achieved with air drying. However, I did finish up the drying process with my Heat Tool. 

When I got my first look at the dried piece, I just wasn't sure if I liked it. There was a lot of white space, and not the near complete color coverage that I'd hoped to achieve. See? I mentioned that this is a very unpredictable technique, didn't I?

Gradually the look grew on me, and I set out to turn it into a card. In fact, I ended up liking it so well that I didn't want to cover up too much of it! Now, how much sense does that make anyway??

So, I grabbed some non-shiny gold metallic cardstock and went to work on a few elements for my card. Do you recall the splendid diecut leaves I used in the card in this post? Gorgeous, aren't they? 

For today's card, I used the same Thinlit, 

but I didn't remove the diecut pieces from the leaf. 

Using the same gold cardstock, I die cut a little "hello" for the bottom of the card.

Below is a larger picture of the intact gold leaf. Isn't it just wonderful?!?

This way of making a watercolor-look background for a card is so much fun -- and, of course, unpredictable. But, I don't think you can ever make a "mistake" with this technique. Each and every one of your attempts will possess a special beauty all its own.

Give this technique a try! 

Just a summary of how to do it: Choose a clear block. Cover it with ink in whichever manner you choose: ink pad direct to the block, as in my example, coloring on the block with Stampin' Write Markers, sponging the ink on. 

Once you have the block inked, spritz it gently with water so the ink starts to bead up and bleed a bit. You don't want it to be a sloppy wet mess, just get that ink moving with a little bit of personality. 

After spritzing, tip the block over and press it into watercolor paper. You can either lift it straight up immediately, or you can let the block sit on the paper for a few beats. Experiment! 

Then, if you are patient, you can let it air dry. If ink/water tends to gather at the edges, gently sop it up with a corner of paper towel. If you are not the patient type, grab your Heat Tool to finish up the drying process.

Watercolor

Smiles.

LIFE IS A BEAUTIFUL THING

On Monday, October 16, my Stamp-In Club ladies experienced a little bit of a challenge in making this card at the workshop. You see, it's a two-step card. Why do I refer to it as a two-step card? Because FIRST they had to create their own stamp. Only after having completed this first step, could they continue on to making the actual card.

The card also featured a couple of the gorgeous diecut leaves from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits on page 216. They were done in Peekboo Peach and Berry Burst cardstock.

We also used some of the beautiful new Designer Series Paper, Painted Autumn, which can be found on page 49 of the Holiday Catalog. This paper is truly exquisite, almost too pretty to cut and use.

The following two photos show the use of the handmade stamp the girls made in the leafy impressions stamped in Peekaboo Peach and Berry Burst.

I'd love to share with you the tutorial on how to make this card. Keep reading -- and have fun!

SUPPLIES FOR THE STAMP:

Big Shot

Seasonal Layers Thinlits

Fun Foam with adhesive backing

Black ink

A wood block

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE STAMP:

Using a small piece of adhesive-backed fun foam, run it through the Big Shot with the small maple leaf die from the Seasonal Layers Thinlits dies, cutting out a leaf shape.

If you desire, stamp in black ink an index image onto the wood block. You might want to cut a separate leaf to do this step. You'd hate to have black on your stamp when making your card. Mount your new stamp onto the wood block.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER WHEN USING YOUR NEW STAMP: 

Since the stamp is sooooo thin without any cushioning, it is somewhat difficult to ink it up without getting ink on the wood block. Remember that if you have wet ink on the block, it will transfer to your paper when stamping. It works easier if you use one of the new juicy ink pads, and then just gently tap the ink onto the stamp.

Use this stamp on the Life Is A Beautiful Thing card.

SUPPLIES FOR THE CARD:

Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper

Very Vanilla cardstok

Peekaboo Peach cardstock

Berry Burst cardstock

Colorful Seasons stamp set (page 147)

Handmade stamp

Berry Burst ink

Peekaboo Peach ink

Big Shot

Seasonal Layers Thinlits (page 216)

Paper Snips

Blue Cord

Stampin' Dimensionals

Scotch Tape

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CARD:

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

Adhere a 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Peekaboo Peach cardstock to the card base.

Using the new stamp you just made, first of all, gently ink it up with Peekaboo Peach ink. STAMP IT OFF FIRST ON SCRATCH PAPER to lighten the image and stamp it randomly on a 2" x 5" strip of Peekaboo Peach cardstock. Repeat this step in several random spots. Then, carefully ink it up with the Berry Burst ink, AND STAMPING OFF FIRST, fill in blank spaces on this strip with the darker leaves. The leaves can overlap somewhat. PLEASE NOTE: I didn't always get a clear impression of the leaf, nor did I get the leaf stem every time. But it doesn't need to be perfect. It just has to have the effect of falling leaves.

When you are satisfied with the look of your strip, wrap blue cord three times around the strip and tape the ends on the back. Then add to the right side a 1 1/2" x 5" strip of the fall DSP so about an inch of the DSP extends beyond the edge. Center this piece onto the card front.

Cut two detailed leaves, one from Peekaboo Peach cardstock and one from Berry Burst cardstock, with the Big Shot and the appropriate die. Adhere the leaves to the stamped strip. I glued the darker leaf down first, then added a piece of Stampin' Dimensional to the large part of the lighter colored leaf, and popped it up overlapping the first leaf a bit.

On a scrap of Very Vanilla cardstock, in Berry Burst ink, stamp the sentiment. When the ink is completely dry, fussy cut, but not all that carefully, around the sentiment. Add a scrap of Peekaboo Peach cardstock to the back of the sentiment, and fussy cut this also, leaving a thin margin of peach showing.

Use a couple of Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the sentiment to the lower portion of the DSP strip.

I should mention here that the Painted Autumn Designer Series Paper used in this card is on sale! Through October 31, there is a special promotion during which you can order three packs of DSP and get a fourth pack for free! Here is the flyer all about the promotion and the DSP packs that are included. Just click on the Shop Now button to go shopping!

Two-Step

Smiles.