Mixed Media 1 - Music is the voice of the soul

Hello

To begin I must apologize for being so absent over the past month and a half.  Many things happened to me during this time and as a consequence my life has changed a bit.  My crafting took a bit of a hit as well as inspiration was lacking and there were other things to be dealt with.  Today however, I have something different to share.  I've been steadily gaining interest in mixed media projects and have created one of my own during the last couple of weeks.

Music is the voice of the soul

I'm not going to list all the products I've used because a lot of it was just pulled out of my stash or made.  The gold embossed notes (Ranger Queen's Gold embossing powder) and glittered hearts were chipboard pieces that came from a card magazine I got ages ago and altered for the project.  I used sticky embossing powder (Ranger) to hold the glitter (American Crafts Taffy) on and a layer of clear embossing powder (Ranger) over the top to make sure the glitter couldn't escape.  The violin was also part of the set as a 2D chipboard piece, but I created a back for it and joined it together with a strip of paper to make it 3D along with adding the strings using gold thread and two pieces of dimensional foam tape.

Close up of the violin

I made the majority of the flowers using dies to cut out the flower shapes (Couture Creations Daisy Nesting Dies) and adhering them together with hot glue.  The carnation looking flowers were created from circles that I sprayed with water, crinkled up, left to dry, then stacked them together and pushed a brad through to hold them in place and fluffed up the petals.

The bottom right corner where most of the flowers are.

I used a couple of my flourish type dies (Couture Creations) to create some greenery for the flowers and the gold embossed decal at the bottom by gluing several of the die cuts together and embossing it.  I've added a few gems and pearls to the flower centers and dotted around the place to add a bit of bling.  My distress inks (Mowed Lawn, Picked Raspberry, Antique Linen, Walnut Stain, Vintage Photo, Seedless Preserves) got a bit of a workout during this project, they were used to age the edges of the main background, add stenciled images (Rosie's Studio) on the background.  They were also used to define the edges of the flowers and to colour and stencil (Memory Box) the violin.  I used some pearlised paint and pearl-ex powders (Interference Gold, Interference Violet) mixed with water to provide shimmer on some of the flowers and areas on the background.

Bottom left corner; featuring a glittered heart and a faux metal embellishment.

There are also a couple of paper doilies that I coloured with distress ink and some die cut borders from a magazine gift that I used along with a couple of pre-made flowers.  I did do a small amoun of stamping on the background with a dotty stamp and a swirl stamp using the Picked Raspberry distress ink and Stazon Jet Black ink.  Finally the sentiment was added with some black alphabet stickers.

I hope you like it, this is my second attempt at a mixed media project and I'm really happy with how it turned out.  I learnt quite a few things while I was creating this and have many things to work on for my next attempt such as preventing warping.  I'm going to add this to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog, go check it out.  This weeks challenge is "Anything Goes".

Till next time,
Stacey.

Floral One Layer Card

Hello,

This week I'm featuring a one layer card.  I don't often make one layer cards as I do find it difficult to use the space with just stamps.  This one was actually easy to create with a bit of masking and some pretty stamps.

Materials:

• White card base
• Flower (MME), leaves (Couture Creations) and 'thinking of you' (Cre8tiv) stamps
• Plum (Ranger archival), black (Stazon) and green ink as well as mowed lawn and seedless preserves distress ink
• Black marker pen
• Pearls and gems
• Corner rounder (Fiskars)

Directions:

1. Mask off an area just below the middle of the card front.  Stamp two of the largest flowers either side of the masked area making sure to overlap the mask a bit.  Stamp one of the smaller flowers below the mask.  Mask off the flowers and stamp the leaf outlines to fill in more space.
2. Remove the mask.  Using a ruler and the marker, create two lines either side of the masked off area.  Stamp the greeting in between the two lines.
3. Using the distress ink, water and a brush, fill in the leaves and any outline flowers with colour.  Once dry, splatter some of the purple distress ink over the card front.
4. Adhere a few gems and pearls and round the top right corner.

I was kind of making this one up as I went with no final vision in mind, I think it turned out well and I managed to hide the small mistakes I made well.  The splatter of ink was to help hide the fact that some of the ink from when I stamped the flowers seeped through the mask and the gems were to cover up a couple of smudges I made.  Just goes to show that little mistakes like that can be covered up and disguised easily to save your card from the rubbish bin!

Till next time

Stacey

Hap-pea Birthday card

Hello

Today's card is a fun one that contains a pun in the sentiment.  I don't often make funny cards so it was nice to change things up a bit.

Materials:

• Green card base, white (Trophee, 240gsm, white linen) and black (Trophee, 210gsm, black) card, green paper
• Pea stamp (Fiskars), alphabet stamps (Cre8tiv) and 'birthday' (Sullivans) stamp
• Green ink and black (Stazon) permanent ink
• Green pen and a green and black gel pen

Directions:

1. Stamp over the card front the pea image several times in green ink.  Stamp the pea image again in black on to the white card.  Stamp out the sentiment using the alphabet stamps and 'birthday' sentiment, use green ink for 'pea' and black for everything else.
2. Colour in the pea image with the pens.  Use the black gel pen to draw a smiling face on one of the peas.
3. Matt the white card with the green paper and then black card.  Adhere to the card base.

I love how this card turned out, I'm going to have to make some more funny cards in the future because this one was so much fun to make and it brings a smile to people's face when the see it.

Till next time

Stacey

Spotlight on Patterned Paper: Elegant Friendship Card

Hello,

Today's card is the final in the patterned paper series.  It is a very simple card and is quick to make so would be easily mass produced.

Materials:

• White card base, black polka dotted paper, green paper and white card
• Friendship stamp (Kaisercraft)
• Black ink (Stazon)
• Black gel pen
• Black embroidery floss
• Green sparkly thread

Directions:

1. Trim the polka dot paper to fit your card front.  Cut a strip of white card large enough to fit your stamp and a bow at the bottom.  Cut a piece of green paper to create a small border for the white piece.
2. Stamp the sentiment on to the white piece.  Using the gel pen create a dash line border around the edge.  Tie a bow with the green and black threads together underneath the sentiment.  Adhere the piece on to the green paper and the panel onto the card front.

See told you it was simple.  Yet it looks good doesn't it?  That is the beauty of patterned paper, it can be used to cut down on the time it takes to create but you still get amazing looking cards!  Prepare yourself for a whole bunch of birthday cards over the next month, I have many friends and family with birthday's in August and I need to make them all a card!

Til next time.

Stacey

P.S. This card has been added to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.  Check it out at http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

Embossed Stenciled Card

Hello!

Yes a post on Monday! I'm hoping to make this a regular thing by using Monday's to post up my entry to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Blog instead of trying to fit my usual cards into the theme.  So this weeks challenge on the blog is to create a card that features embossing, including dry, wet and embossing paste.  I love embossing so I had fun with this one.

Embossed Stenciled card

Materials:

• Black card (Kasdak, 210gsm, Raven Black), maroon card (Rosie's studio)
• Stencil (Memory Box, Raymelle)
• Embossing ink (Versamark)
• Gold Embossing powder (Ranger, Queen's Gold)
• "Happy Birthday" stamp (Couture Creations)
• Nesting flower dies (Couture Creations, Daisy)
• Flourish die 
• Yellow/Gold gem

Directions:

1. Create a top folding card base from the black card.  Cut from the black card; one flourish, one of the smallest flower die and two of the next size up flower die.
2. Place the stencil over the maroon card and secure it with some low-tack tape.  Squish your embossing ink pad over the top of the stencil until the paper underneath becomes completely covered.  Carefully remove the stencil and apply the embossing powder over the card.  Heat set and trim around the edge of the image.
3. Stamp and emboss the "Happy Birthday" sentiment vertically along the left side of the card.  Using this as a guide, trim down the maroon piece to fit.  Adhere it on to the card with dimensional foam.
4. To make the flower, gently curl the petals of one of the larger flowers.  Taking the other larger flower, cut to the middle from the join between two of the petals, do this to the smallest flower as well.  At the cut, move one petal to overlap the one on the other side of the cut so that the paper makes a cone shape, secure with tape on the back.  Do this for both the cut flowers then curl the petals.  Using hot glue, secure the smallest flower into the cut larger one and then on to the uncut largest one.  Glue the gem into the center.  Adhere the flower over top of the flourish and on to the card.

This card took me a long time to make as I couldn't decide how to use the wonderful embossed background I had created without covering too much of it up.  I got there eventually and I'm super happy with how it turned out.

You can visit the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge blog here: http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

Till next time

Stacey

Spotlight on patterned paper: Hello card

Hello,

This card is the fourth installment in my series featuring patterned paper.  I have to apologize for not posting yesterday,  there was a party the night before and you can probably guess the rest.  I don't often make cards that are just to say hello, so I thought I'd shake things up a bit and create one.

Spotlight on patterned paper: Hello Card

Materials:

• White card (Trophee, 240gsm, white linen), patterned paper, yellow paper
• Flower nesting dies (Couture creations, Daisy)
• Circle nesting dies (Couture creations)
• Alphabet stamps (Cre8tiv)
• Red (Rosie's studio) and gold (Martha Stewart) ink
• Blue ribbon

Directions:

1. Create a top folding card base from the white card.  Cut the patterned paper to leave a small border of white.  Using the nesting dies, cut a flower from the yellow paper and a circle from some white card.
2. Stamp 'hello' with the red ink onto the circle.  Sponge the edge of the circle with red ink.  For the flower, sponge the gold ink around the edge.
3. Adhere the blue ribbon to the patterned piece with some double sided tape and then adhere the circle to the flower and the flower to the ribbon.  Adhere the panel to the card base.

It is a very simple card which could be easily massed produced and the sentiment changed to reflect many different occasions.  That's it for today's post, see you next time!

Stacey

Spotlight on patterned paper: Peacock Sympathy Card

Hello!

Today I am continuing with my patterned paper mini series with a sympathy card.  Sympathy cards can be tricky to make as you need to create a card where the appearance doesn't overpower the sentiment.  Losing someone is never easy and your card must convey your feelings, not your card making skills.

Materials:

• Black (Kasdak, 210gsm, raven black) and purple (Rosie's studio) card
• Peacock patterned paper (Rosie's studio)
• Peacock embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
• Embossing ink pad (Versamark)
• Gold embossing powder (Ranger)
• "With Sympathy" sentiment stamp (Couture Creations)
• Corner rounding punch (Fiskars)

Directions:

1. Create the card base from the black card.  Cut a piece of the purple card to create a layer 0.5cm smaller than the card base.  Cut the patterned piece 0.5cm smaller than the purple piece.  Create another purple layer this time 2cm smaller than the patterned paper.
2. Apply Versamark ink to the raised side of the embossing folder being careful not to get the ink on other sections.  Gently press the smaller of the two purple pieces over the embossing folder to pick up the ink.  Cover with the powder and heat set.  On a scrap piece of black card stamp and emboss the sentiment.  Cut it down and create a flag detail on one end.
3. Round the corners of all your layers with the punch.  Begin adhering them together starting with the smallest purple piece on to the patterned piece then on to the second purple piece.  Adhere the whole panel to the card base.  Using dimensional foam, adhere the sentiment towards the bottom right of the card.

There you have it.  A sympathy card that uses an embossing folder in a different capacity than usual.  Stay tuned for next weeks installment in the patterned paper mini series.

Stacey