Fun in the Craft Room

This weekend I decided it was time to be a little creative, and with the holidays coming up and fall in the air, (yes - even for Phoenix) it was time to do a little seasonal stamping.

First is a card I made using the Cardinals in Birch Trees.


I stamped the image onto white card stock with black Memento ink. I then pulled out my Copic markers and shaded the areas around the trees with blue hues. To blend, i started with my darker blue color and pulled that color out with 2 shades lighter of the lighter blue. I colored in all of the cardinals red, and put a little bit of cream in the trees to give a little bit of depth.

I mounted on rust and dark blue card stocks to pull out some of the colors in the stamped art.



Next, a Poinsettia holiday card.

I pulled out my distress inks, reinkers and misting bottles. I created the background that the stamp is sitting on by using my various misting bottles filled with watered down - various colors of distress inks.

First, used a sheet of tinfoil. I randomly placed a few colors from my ink pads onto the tinfoil. I then sprayed with a little bit of water.

I then dipped my card stock into the ink and smeared it around. To add a little bit more dimension and to mix the colors more. I used my misting bottles and sprayed more colors on top of what I had already dipped into the tinfoil. I let the colors blend and bleed together.

It gives you a really beautiful modeled look.

Once dry, I stamp the Poinsettia image onto the card stock with black Memento Ink.

I blended the petals using the same technique with the markers. I started with my darkest shade of red in the center of the flower then pulled out and blended the color using a red that was 2 shades lighter.

I repeated the same process with the second flower, and placed it under a square glass pebble from Craftfantastic.com.

One fun thing about the Copic markers. I got 2 completely different looks with the markers. And I think that they both turned out pretty good.

Happy Stamping!

Nicole

Sketch Challenge Winner!

Is Krisha,
From Shafter CA. Krisha, email us at nmk28@yahoo.com and give us you full address so we can send you you grab bag of stamps! Thanks for playing. http://krishaskeepsakes.blogspot.com/
Nicole

Jean's Junk Drawer #2 Background Stamps

Because of my Cuttlebug and all the embossed background folders I own, I forget about my background stamps. With Nicole's background stamp requests from our Design Team, I figured it was time to dig out my old stamps to try a new technique. I found it in my Technique Junkies Newsletter. It's called "Burnished Backgrounds". (Oct. /Nov '09)

This technique creates a richly colored background that brings out the detail of the background stamp.











Materials:
Black or Dark Pigment Ink or VersaMark
Black Embossing Powder
Dye Inks in Complementary Colors
Sponges or Daubers
Background Stamps

First, Stamp and emboss the background Image on a light, Ultra Smooth Cardstock.

Next, starting with the lightest color sponge various spots on the background. Continue using the next to lightest color etc. (Yellow, Orange, Red) Once the whole background is colored, go back over each spot again to bring out the richness of the colors. My card above uses the Maple Leaf Background Stamp, Single Maple Leaf and Pumpkin.




Using a smaller background stamp (Swirls), I could create a fun ATC using Blue, Purple and Pink Inks. Other stamps used were the Dreams Take Flight and Faces half sheet.


Suggestion of the Week: Dig around for those old background stamps and some sponges. The results may surprise you. If I did these again, I would wear rubber gloves while swirling my colors.(I'm a messy Stamper!)

Black Cats on the prowl - a sketch challenge card by Jenny Gropp

Here is another beautiful card for you all to see by Jenny Gropp for this weeks sketch challenge. Lovely take Jenny!

Hi All,
We are soooooooo excited to be offering our first EVER sketch challenge. Our design team has agreed to play along. You can view their cards and the sketch in this posting. We WANT YOU to play along! We are attaching a Mr. Linkey box at the top of this post.


We are running a little contest with this sketch challenge. Post your CARD or ART made from the sketch, to your blog, and link to Mr. Linky by Saturday the 24th, and you will be entered to win in our drawing! We are giving away a grab bag of 25 unmounted stamps valued at over 50.00! A winner will be picked randomly on the 24th and announced on our blog. You will have to check back onto this blog to see if you are the winner. Good luck and have fun creating. And enjoy the samples.
Here is the sketch!

Here are some samples from the design team:

Tesa



Rose




Jennifer



Anya



Terra



Jeannie



Donna

Grim Reaper - 1 Stamp -02 Ways!

We have another treat for everyone to enjoy. This little grim reaper - well he' s creepy, and oh so cool. Terra and Jennifer did a bang up job with this little guy. We hope you will be inspired as much as we were!

First a really cool key chain from Terra. In here words:
This was a really easy project and the end product is stunning! I used five things: stamp images from Prickley Pear, clay, paint, silver wire, and a swivel clasp from Tim Holtz. After stamping, cutting, and baking the clay, I got to go at it and do what I do with layers of paint. It was a blast! Take a look...






Now, I know it's slightly big and gaudy for a keychain, but that's just how I roll. I can't wait to see the reaction when I carry this guy around! I forgot to mention, the skull was also made from clay and painted. I'm loving the clay!

And next... This really darling from Jennifer! In her words:
Supplies: Paper Solid: Black- DCWV, Grey-ColorMates, Red-Papertrey Ink, White-Neenah

Patterned: GCD Studios
Ribbon:Offrey
Tools: Copics (R29, W1, BV23 and blender), Pearl White Smooch, EK Success Chalks, Perfect Layers rulers, Memories ink, Dove Grey StazOn, Pop-dots, VersaMark, Hero Arts White Embossing powder and black threaded sewing machine

Instructions:
I cut down the grey paper to make a 6x6 card. I also cut down the pattern paper to 5x12 long enough so it wraps around to the back of the card, I glued and sewed that paper to the grey card. I stamped the reaper in Memories ink on white paper and colored him with the Copics. I also stamped the "coffee ring stamp" in Dove grey on the white (and made it look like a moon). I mounted the stamped image to a piece of red paper and then all of it on a piece of black paper (using my Perfect Layers rules to get the border perfect).

I used the chalks to rub on the stamped paper and make it look like there are clouds. After the clouds were done, I cut apart a halloween spooky tree ATC PP Transparency and glued that onto the card (cutting around the stamped image). I took a pencil eraser and erased the very edge of the white portion of the card to add a little white border.

For the saying I cut a piece of black paper the width of the reaper image and stamped the saying with VersaMark and embossed it using white embossing powder. I mounted that using pop-dots to the very edge of the reaper image.

Before I glued down the stamped image I cut a small slit in the top of the card to feed the ribbon though it. Tied the ribbon in a knot at the bottom of the card.

I used pop-dots in all 4 corners of the layered grimm reaper image, and stuck that whole panel down to the top center of the card. To finish it off I edged the whole grey card in memories black ink.

2 Stamp - 2 Cards

As I was illustrating the latest round of Halloween and Fall images available now though www.prickleypear.com - I came upon a haunted house and thought, "Oooh, we need a haunted house with a graveyard and crickety walk way!", so I went to work. Sometimes, an image alludes me as to how to stamp with what I have illustrated. But, I never worry about it, because we have some incredibly FABULOUS designers who can take any cute idea I have and make a card look stunning with our stamps!

I have 2 such cards and designers right now. Each card is very different from one another. But I think you will agree, both are fantastic.

The first comes from one of our new Design Team Members Anya Schrier, and here is her work and her words.

Ghoulish Greetings
Hi blog friends! I hope you're doing well. My week is dragging, and I've had a headache for about a week, but it is fall and the leaves outside my window are beautiful. I have a bag of apples at home that will be made into apple crisp, and that is a good thing. (Trying to think positive here).

Today's card is another spooky one using stamps from Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps.

The image is called Haunted House in Graveyard and is available mounted or unmounted.

I stamped the image onto white cardstock using Tuxedo Black ink. The image was colored with my Copics and then highlighted with some Spica pens. I matted the main image with a piece of black that had been trimmed with my pinking blade. The edges were inked with Fresh Snow ink. The patterned paper is from Bo Bunny - isn't it funny? Trees with eyeballs! Very spooky if you ask me. The Ghoulish Greetings sentiment was also used.

Hope your evening is filled with wonderful things!

Next came a card from Jenny Gropp! And here is her work and her words. She is also giving away Prickley Pear Blog Candy this week!

Trick or TREAT!

No Tricks Here!

It's Time for Some Blog Candy!!!!

First I wanna share a card with you,

then on to the candy details....

---------------------------------------------

This card sums up why I love making Halloween cards....
Crazy colors mixed together and more is always better, not less when it comes to embellishments!
Prickley Pear had an awesome release of Halloween images this fall, I have enjoyed creating with them thoroughly!

I colored the scene with Copics, masking the moon using a circle punch and Eclipse tape, then airbrushing the creepy colored sky. I combined a few odd marker colors for the house, then added some highlights with a white gel pen - after the white ink dried I scraped it off so it would be dull and not shiny. 'Cause shiny houses are not very spooky looking! I stamped the little ghosts and then cut three of them out adding one along the winding path and two more peeking out from behind the main scene panel.

I love this Halloween sentiment! The scratchy broken up font is just perfect! Now I'm thinking I should have also added a black cat image along the path!!! Of course, I added some stitch marks as a finishing touch.

• Prickley Pear Stamps:
  Haunted House in Graveyard
  Witches Go Riding
  Ghost-Small
  
• Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Onyx Black
• Paper: Orange, Black, Green, Neenah Classic Crest Solar White, Basic Grey DP - Eerie Collection
• Other: Cuttlebug Folder, White Gel Pen, Misc. Ribbon, Misc. Gems, Micron Black Pen, Eclipse Tape, Circle Punch

Jean's Junk Drawer #1 Shrinking Embellishments for ATC's

Many stamp magazines have suggested we look in our own stash of crafting materials to save on money in this recent economy. To me, that's means a look in the Junk Drawer. What did I find? Shrink Plastic in multiple colors! (I bet you have some on hand too!)

The project is to make ATC's in a Halloween theme adding extra embellishments made from the plastic. The materials I used are: white and clear pieces of shrink plastic, StazOn inks in Black, Orange and Yellow, a sanding tool if plastic isn't primed, the Prickley Pear Halloween Transparency sheet and a few stamps.(Fradey Cat trio, both size of Ghosts , Chester the owl and the webbed tree)
I stamped on a clear piece of plastic. The ghosts were cut out and shrunk using my heat gun. (If you haven't done this before, the piece will look like it's curling up but will unfold as it continues to be heated.) Note the comparison from it's original size.

To brighten up the background on my ATC's, I used direct to paper and sponging with yellow and orange inks.

I added one of the Halloween transparencies using a spray adhesive over my background. Then I took my ghosts and added them over the transparency with a clear adhesive. After all was dry, I attached the halloween ribbon with black brads.

On this ATC I embossed the Webbed tree with fine black powder. Next, I stamped the cat and owl on shrink plastic. I colored them with colored pencils. After shrinking, they were attached to the card with clear adhesive. The bottom of the ATC is wrapped with orange and black scrappers floss.

My suggestion for the week: Check your junk drawer for shrink plastic. Stamp and shrink a few pieces ahead of time. You'll have them on hand and ready to go when making ATC's.

Happy World Card Making Day!!!

Today is world card making day! I could not let this day go by without getting a little creative. So I pulled out my distress inks, copic markers my favorite Great Horned Owl stamp and got to work.

Distress inks are so much fun to work with. One thing I love about them is the fact that you can water them down, and they will maintain the color that they are intended to be. I started by putting different colors of ink down onto my tefflon sheet. Then I misted the ink and they bled together a little on the sheet. I then dipped my paper into the ink and swooshed it around, it gave me a really pretty surface to work with.

Once dry, I stamped the Owl with black memento ink. It is a dye based ink, so it drys quickly. I decided it would be fun to take out my copic markers and highlight the eyes of the Owl. I started with orange in the center, and yellow for the outer portion. I blended together - it gave the eyes great depth, and WOW does it pop off the distress ink background beautifully.