Category: Techniques

Build a Bouquet Butterfly

Build a Bouquet, Cards, Framelit Dies, Techniques
Comments

Build a Bouquet 01

This card started as a Bokeh attempt, turned into a big mess, and ended up being beautiful!  I started with watercolor paper and dropped with an aqua painter Pear Pizzazz, Wisteria Wonder, Soft Sky and Daffodil Delight. The Pear Pizzazz turned very muddy, but I added the circles with White Craft ink and it looked okay – but needed something.  So I spritzed it with Elegant Eggplant ink mixed with alcohol.  Then I stamped it using Gorgeous Grunge in Silver Encore ink!  Finally I added the butterfly and some Dazzling Details.  Needless to say, the texture on this card is amazing 🙂

Build a Bouquet 01 detail

So the moral for this card is – more is better!  Hugs, Fran

Bravo Bokeh

Bravo, Cards, Techniques
Comments

Bravo 01

I saw a “new to me” technique called Bokeh and gave it a try.  The instructions called for paint on watercolor paper so I tried it with reinkers.  Wet your watercolor paper and use an aqua painter to apply reinkers all over the piece.  In this one I use Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette and Crushed Curry.  Dry with a heat gun.  Stamp your sentiment in Stazon. Punch some circles from a piece of acetate and use them as a stencil to make White Craft ink circles all over the finished front, Each one is different!

Bravo 02

Bravo is a great set for this technique because the words really stand out.

Supplies

Stamp Set – Bravo

Card stock – Watercolor paper, Whisper White

Ink – Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Crushed Curry ( Island Indigo, Pool Party, So Saffron) White Craft ink

Etc – sequins

It’s always fun to try something new!  Hugs, Fran

Tattered Field Flowers

Cards, Field Flowers, Stamp Sets, Techniques
3 Comments

My goodness – there’s less than 2 weeks before the new catalog!  This technique was done by tearing 2 pieces of paper to make a mask on either side of where you want your color.  I applied the colors with sponge daubers and then over stamped the color with the now retired Netting Background stamp.  Remove the masks and stamp your Field Flower inages and embellish.

Supplies
Stamp Sets – Field Flowers, Netting
Cardstock – Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink – Tangerine Tango, Pumpkin Pie, Crushed Curry, Daffodil Delight
Etc – Spong Daubers, embossing folder, butterfly punch

I saw this technique on Sudsol, a demo site, and cased the design.  Hugs, Fran

Watercolor Hearts

Big Shot, Cards, Framelit Dies, Holidays, Mini Catalogs, Perfect Pennants, Spring Mini, Stamp Sets, Techniques, Valentines
4 Comments

Oh my bleeding heart!  I saw this idea on Pinterest – but I did the “foundation” of it in a very different way and got a VERY different look.  The one I saw used watercolors on smooth paper.  I used reinker on watercolor paper.  My card turned out much darker (much, much darker!)  I punched the hearts out of watercolor paper and glued them down.  After dried I used reinkers in the the lids of the stamp pads and an aquapainter to start the ink flowing.  The sequins are colored with Copic markers – which worked very well.

Supplies
Stamp Set – Perfect Pennants
Card stock – Pink Pirouette, Basic Black, watercolor paper
Ink – Pink Pirouette, Real Red, Melon Mambo
Etc – Aquapainter, sequins, makers, Envelope Punch board (to round the corners), Heart Framelits, Large Pearl

Try it and let me know how it works for you!  Hugs, Fran

Chalk Talk Sneak Peek

Big Shot, Cards, Chalk Talk, Chalkboard, Embossing Folder, Framelit Dies, Punch, Sneak Peek, Stamp Sets, Techniques
1 Comment

Mixing the chalkboard technique with some Glimmer paper – works for me   This is a new set in the upcoming catalog called Chalk Talk.  I don’t have the matching framelits (again – yet!) but this image was easy to cut out.  I used the Epic Day Designer Series paper cut in strips for the background and a Delicate Design embossing folder on the Whisper White.  The hearts are a variety of framelits and punches. 

Supplies
Stamp Set – Chalk Talk
Card stock – Whisper White, Epic Day DSP, Basic Black, Silver Glimmer
Ink – White Craft ink
Etc – Delicate Design embossing folder, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, small heart punch, basic rhinestone

All sorts of things going on here!  Hugs, Fran

Shimmer Mist

Storage, Techniques, Tips and Tricks, Tutorials
5 Comments

How do you store your Shimmer Mist and Smooch Spritz?  I keep mine in a Bell Jar without the lid insert – with a pretty ribbon tied around it   These are the mists that I make by filling a spritzer bottle about 3/4 of the way with 70% alcohol, about a 1/4 teaspoon of Shimmer Paint and reinker (if needed)  

For the Spritzer bottles, I punch a 1/2″ circle of whatever color reinker I’ve added and adhere to the lid of the bottle.  You can rinse these bottles out and use them for other colors if you want – but they are only $2.95 for 2 bottles (126185) so I just designate a bottler for a color. 

And here’s a fun idea!  The Shimmer Paints have a little ball inside the jar to help you stir them up.  When I’ve gone through the bottle of paint, I drop the ball into a Spritzer bottle and it helps stir my Shimmer Mist! 

Can you see it in there?  It works!  Once you start spritzing things – it’s hard to stop!  Hugs, Fran

Beautiful Trim

Cards, Mini Catalogs, One in a Million, Spring Mini, Stamp Sets, Techniques
2 Comments

Here’s another idea for the Flower Trim.  I saw this technique and layout on Lydia’s blog and thought I’d give it a try.

Take a piece of Flower Trim and use sponge daubers to color the flowers.  I wanted to do it in pinks so I used Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose and Melon Mambo. You want the colors to blend into each other so overlap the colors a bit as you move up the trim.  Since this is a baby card, I wanted the colors to blend softly so I …….you guessed it….spritzed it with shimmer mist!  I used an alcohol and Shimmer Frost mix and spritzed it until the colors blended all the way through. 

Supplies
Stamp Set – One in a Milion
card stock – Whisper White, Pink pirouette
Ink – Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Melon Mambo
Etc – Flower Trim, Designer Label punch, Delicate Lace tape

So soft and pretty!  Thanks, Lydia, for a great idea.  Hugs, Fran

Oh Hello

Cards, Mini Catalogs, Oh Hello, Spring Mini, Stamp Sets, Techniques
Comments

I cased Shelli!  This is my version of a project she did on stage at Leadership.  The coolest part is the flower.  It’s one single flower from the new Flower Trim ribbon (126869).  The nicest part about this ribbon is that you can cut off just one flower or use an entire string on them. 

To color the flower I simply pushed it into a So Saffron pad until it had color on both sides.  Then I spritzed it with some shimmer spray made up of 70% rubbing alcohol and frost white shimmer paint.  This helped the color soak all the way through without making it too wet.  I added it to the card using Tombow Multipurpose glue (the green capped stuff!)

Supplies
Stamp Set – Oh Hello (Spring Mini)
card stock – Crumb Cake, Tea for Two Designer Series Paper
Ink – Early Espresso, So Saffron
Etc – shimmer spray, paper doilies, Lucky Limeade Baker’s Twine, Spritzer tool, Early Espresso Stampin Write Marker

Hugs, Fran

More Celebrating

Birthday, Cards, Chalkboard, Holidays, Stamp Sets, Techniques, World's Greatest, You're Amazing
Comments

Today is my son’s birthday and I thought I’d try the “chalkboard” technique on a card for him.  It’s very fun (kind of addicting!) and this is the finished card.  Now I can’t wait to try it again and do some different things!  This is a 6 x 6 card.  The images on the front were stamped in Versamark, heat embossed in white and then smudged around the edges and over the image with white craft ink.  Finally I drew a box around the images with a white gel pen.  Done over, I think I’d leave the little swirly thing off the bottom left side – but it’s a start.

Stamp Sets – World’s Greatest, You’re Amazing, Family Reunion
card stock – Basic Black, Real Red, Whisper White, Neutral Patterns
Ink – Versamark, Jet Black Stazon
Etc – white embossing powder, sponge dauber, white gel pen

My anniversary special continues for 8 more days.  I’m offering 10 percent off all orders until midnight 1/13.  Since this offer is only
through me, you will need to email me your order with your phone number
so I can call you and get your payment.  10 days of 10 percent off!

Hugs, Fran