Happy Halloween!!! :o)

So something very eerie happened with this Halloween card that I made last year. The purple copic marker turned pink over time. Spooky! ;-)

(Yeah, last year. What's up with that, hey? I have so many partially finished cards it's sad. About 50 or so! It's been ages since I posted a tutorial. I wanted to share this one much earlier but have been haunted by those scary migraines. Better late than never?)
 

Step 1) Print & heat emboss the Bronson Moon digital image on Paris Bleedproof Paper with clear embossing powder. Colour it. I used these copic colours: Mimosa Yellow YG00, Mauve Shadow BV00, Cool Gray no.5, Cool Gray no.7, Cool Gray no.9, Colourless Blender.

I looked everywhere for the digital stamp I used. It's by Lia Stampz, but perhaps it's discontinued. She has loads of wonderful images here though. I love her whimsical gorgeous art work!

Step 2) Cut slits along his sides about half an inch long (for adding two bat wings.)

Step 3) Cut around the hands as well (for adding a sign hanging from his hands on wire.)

Step 4) Colour the sky (I Stippled BV00 mauve shadow copic, pouncing gently to create little dots. Tip: For a more natural blending, don't leave straight lines as you go. You can make sections darker for shading. (See that sky was surely purple when I first coloured it. Strange, hey?)

 

 Step 5) Pierce & stitch around the outside of the image.

Step 6) Cut away the corners, for a fancy shape to match the stitches.

Step 7) Add little yellow seed beads for stars

To add the beads, pierce holes where you want them.

Pierce 2 holes for each bead if you want it to lay on its side:

I find beads make a nice embellishment that mails well (and is super affordable).

Step 8) Make dimensional bat wings.

Draw bat wings, (leaving an extra bit of length at the start of each wing to use as a tab to stick them on the card. Colour them & cut them out...

Slide the wings into the slits you cut earlier...

And affix the wing tabs to the back of the card.




 Step 9) Add a little sign with a sentiment (this one is made using vellum, a computer generated saying, and some fine silver wire. And some hearts...

Step 10) Layer it all on a top-fold card (cut free-hand to match the stitching & edged with a turquoise marker for some colour).

and that's that...

(fancy sewing: with thread or faux stitches)

This is a cheap trick to get shaped hand-stitching in the corners of cards.

Basically it involves making a "piercing jig" out of vellum cardstock:

A) Cut a piece of vellum cardstock & fold it so that you have a flap that will fit over the card you want to pierce & stitch. 

Vellum cardstock is the perfect material for this because it is sheer enough to let you see through to your project but it will also be durable. You could easily use acetate or clear plastic from packaging or whatever you have that's similar.

 B) Score a line to mark where you will pierce your pattern (or draw one if you prefer).

C)  Score another line equidistant on the second side of the vellum  to create a 90 degree angle or corner. 

Tip: you can also trace something round or shaped if you want that to be your stitching pattern instead of straight lines.

D) Draw your pattern in the corner (using the lines you made before as a guide). You can draw free-hand or even trace something since the vellum is sheer. I used a white pencil so that nothing would transfer onto the card, since pen or pencil might mess things up...)

E) Pierce your pattern into the corner of the vellum piercing jig. I pierced all the way through both the flap and the larger back piece so that the pattern can be reversed.

Tip: I find that curves require stitches that are closer together to look their nicest, but if they are too close the cardstock you're stitching on can tear. I like to use a heavy weight cardstock that's more durable. (Like a smooth 100lb cardstock). Of course, you can always skip the thread and make quick faux stitches with a marker or pen!

F) Lay your vellum cardstock 'jig' over the corner of the piece you want to pierce. Make holes with a paper piercing tool or needle.

G) To get the two other matching but reversed corners flip the piece around and pierce from the back.

H) Then hand-stitch with thread or faux-stitch with a pen.

Happy Halloween, to  those who celebrate it.  

Hope you & yours have a blast!

A Triple-stamped Fancy-cut Flower card

Hi All!

So.... I was feeling all in charge the blogging regularly thing again (like a real blogger even!) but I pulled an intercostal muscle or something very mean, and it has decided that it gets to be the boss of life-in-general instead of me. I'm still hoping to keep up the pace of every 4/5 days or so, but if I don't manage that... you'll know why. :-)

-1-

This card is made using a fave,

Hero Arts 'Large Flower' stamp:

 

Here's a close up view:

I stamped the flower image three times:

 

The 1st stamping was to create a white embossed background of the little flowers.

I used Frost White Colorbox ink & white embossing powder on watercolor paper.

The 2nd stamping was to make the leaves. I stamped in white ink on black cardstock, 

then heat-embossed with clear embossing powder, cut the leaves out & adhered them.

The 3rd go was for the flowers. I made a digital paper, pasting little squares of pattern,

 then printed that to stamp the flowers on (in black ink with clear embossing powder).

-2-

(silver leafing your embellishments)

This is a grungeboard frame that I covered in silver leaf (or foil). To adhere the silver foil,
I just painted on the adhesive that comes in the Mona Lisa foil kit, let it dry & stuck the foil on. Easy peasy! (By the by, I use the imitation silver leaf foil. It's more affordable.)

The "happy birthday" is a white SRM sticker stuck onto black cardstock.

Interested in some simple striped paper? The stuff I used to line
 the envelope (and the inside of the card) is here:

(or here on flickr)

This digital work is offered up for free, but mainly for personal use only.

Please be sure to read my terms of use here. Thanks!

Hope you're having a scrumptious week! ox

a Silhouette Challenge project

This might look like a card in the photo, but...

 

... it's actually a collage on a wooden canvas
 to hang on the wall (or give as a gift):

(Psssst, here's the secret: at $3.50 the wooden canvas base
couldn't be a more affordable supply for making gifts!)

-1-

This is a project I made as part of The Silhouette Challenge facebook group.
The goal of the group is to make a unique Silhouette-cut project each month & link it up.

 (This is my first one, so far!) :-) If you'd like to join us, simply drop Lauren a line.
Her blog is The Thinking Closet & you can reach here here via email.

...................................................

The wooden canvas (or 'cradled panel') was inspired by my blog buddy,
Lisa, who just created a stunning collage, that she shared on her blog, here.

I've had a few of these wooden canvases around for a while &
have been wanting to share them with you, since they're so very handy!

-2-

(use a wooden canvas to make a quick gift 

that's as easy to make as a card!)

This is what my canvas looked like before I painted it, a wooden
 'cradled panel' base that measures 6x6 inches & 1/5 inches deep:

 
Cradled panels are surprisingly light, so they are very easy to hang.
(You can just use a push pin in your wall!)
 
  Their light weight also makes them quite affordable to ship in the mail.

They're made from a renewable resource, which is very important to me.
& Did I already mention they are 'cheap'? (The one I used was $3.50!)

 Want to know where to find them?

Since I live in BC Canada, I bought mine at Opus Art Supplies. If you're in the USA, you can find them at Dick Blick (I've never used that brand myself, but how exciting that they even have round ones!)

Do you sell your creations?

When I was researching the best supplies to make collage art to sell, these came up all the time. 

Many artist's prefer them to cloth canvases, because they are less likely to rip or crack in the mail.

They are great for encaustic work or beeswax collage & they can stand up to many collage layers.

-3-

 

This is a rather simple project that makes a quick gift (it's
basically akin to sticking a handmade card on a wooden panel):

1) Cut a silhouette background shape from paper
2) Add a little paint & ink to the paper
3) Paint a wooden canvas
4) Stick the paper on the canvas & trim it
5) Add a focal image with some embellishments

• A Wooden 'cradled panel' canvas
• Paint (I used Black craft paint)
• Paper (to cut in the Silhouette Cameo) 
• A cut file to create a background texture with.
• Gesso/White Paint (optional: a brayer to apply it to the cut paper)
• Distress Inks or other colour medium of your choice
• Miscellanous paper embellishments (or a focal image)

Step 1) Make an interesting background element out of cardstock. I cut a design using the Silhouette cameo... this Small Fancy Gate file from the Silhouette store. It's cut out of Neenah Solar White cardstock.

 

Step 2) Add texture to your cardstock, if you like.

To add more interest, I applied acrylic Gesso to my Silhouette cut cardstock, using a brayer. After the gesso dried, I used a foam applicator to add colour with Distress Inks. (If you don't have any Gesso, white acrylic paint would work nicely and any ink or colour medium would work as well).



Step 3) Paint a cradled panel (I painted mine with black craft paint). Then adhere the cardstock to the wooden panel using acrylic matte medium.

I brushed on a generous coat of matte medium. It goes on white like glue, as you can see in the photo above, but it dries clear and matte (which is just a fancy art term for not shiny!) :-)

I use a local brand Kroma (from Vancouver BC) but Golden also makes it (they list some uses for it in art, here), and I have heard amazing things about Claudine Hellmuth's multi medium (matte).



Step 4) Dab off any excess matte medium using a rag. (It washes out of the cloth nicely with a little warm water).



Step 5) After the matte medium dries, trim the excess paper off using scissors, or a hobby blade.



Step 6) Distress the edges to soften the look, if you like. (I added a tiny bit of Black Soot Distress Paint & wiped away the extra with a damp cloth).



Step 6) Add a focal image - To adhere things like this, I love Weldbond glue because it's very ecological (it's non-toxic & has the eco-logo) Plus it's also strong & cleans up with water.



I added a fair amount of Weldbond and pressed on it a little here & there, to be sure it dried flat.

If you like the bird, you can find it free as a digital image, here:

This digital work is offered up for free, but mainly for personal use only.

Please be sure to read my terms of use here. Thanks!

The flowers on the focal image are hand-cut fabric flowers:



They were made like this:

1) ...printed a free flower template onto heavy cardstock.

2) ... added the fabric with Mod Podge (just coated the cardstock with a layer of Mod Podge & stuck fabric on it leaving the flower template printed visible on the back).

3) ...stamped on the fabric with Frost White Colorbox ink & this paisley stamp & heat embossed the ink with clear embossing powder. Distressed them, to look tea-stained, with a little Antique Linen Distress Ink & water.

4) ... Cut the flowers out & shaped them using a stylus tool (or the pointy wooden end of a paintbrush).

If you're a visual learner, you can see the flower making process 

in this 'Book page Mod Podge Flower' tutorial:

 (I just swapped the book pages for thin white fabric, here). :-)

...I also used the Weldbond to glue the flowers on & beads in their
centers. Just dropped a blob glue in the middle of each flower...



...and then popped in the bead:



& that was that!





If you'd like some ideas for how to use your silhouette,
these projects by the Gals in the group are sure to be fun!

DIY Paper Star Lanterns by Me & My DIY

A Jar of Gratefulness by We ♥ Cards

Adding Easy Sketch Pen Detail to Silhouette Cuts by It Happens in a Blink

Laundry Room Labels by Unoriginal Mom

Kids Step Stool with Sass by Joy & Gladness of Heart

Magnetic Perpetual Calendar by Everydaypaper

Silhouette Fabric Ink {An Experiment} by Create & Babble

Playhouse Signs: Who Will We Be Today? by Suburble

How to Get a Second Wind Out of Your Gel Manicure by The Thinking Closet

DIY Graduation Gift by Super Sweet Life

A Silhouette Challenge by Home at Eight

Oval Coffee Table Reveal & More! by Give Me a Paintbrush

Stamped Gift Boxes by Coley's Corner

Monsters University T-Shirt by Tried & True

Travel Accessories for Vacation Mementos & Business by An Elegant Touch
My Pinktastic Makeup Organizer by The House on Hillbrook

Whew that was a long one, hey? Thank You for 
having a look & Happy Creating! ox

P.S. Just thought I should let you know, I have no affiliation with any of the companies whose products I've mentioned here. They're just things I use and love & I'm only linking them in an effort to make them easier to find for You. :-)