Joey, An Artist Canvas, A Quick Tutorial and A Strange Visitor

Joey popped in to say hello today... or should I say he popped up:)  He loves to get inside baskets or boxes of any kind --- usually, as here, he prefers the smaller ones.  One look at his smile and my world is filled with sunshine.  Joey chose my Fall canvas project for me to share with you today.

Yes, I cut out a lot of leaves and flower layers.  I absolutely love the text on this one.

I have 3-4 layers of petals on my flowers.  After punching them, I sponged and shaped them.  You can use your bone folder to curve the petals up or down, whichever you prefer.

A brief recap for making an artist canvas project:
- Paint on clear gesso over the entire canvas.
- Let dry.  Add second layer, if you wish.
- Cover the canvas front with gesso (Be generous.) and carefully lay down your DSP over it.
- Make sure the entire piece of DSP is attaching to the canvas.
- Reattach corners with extra gesso, if they start to lift up.
- Keep smoothing it out as it dries.
- Sponge edges and corners, as you like.
- Once dry, go over canvas with gesso again, to seal it.
- Cut out all the pieces you will need for your project.
- Take time to move around the pieces until you get the arrangement you like.
- Start attaching your pieces, using hot glue or Liquid Tombow.  Hold in place a little while.
- Stop every once in a while and stand back to see if you're liking the balance of your design.
- When you feel like you've added enough pieces, you're finished:)
- STOP.
- STAND BACK.
- ADMIRE:)

As with all my decor projects, I loved creating this one.

Joey is hanging out with Buster here.  Lilly is lurking in the background.

Buster is trying to figure out why Joey would bother playing with a cup when there's no food in it.  Buster is a food lover.

I've had another buddy hanging around a lot this Fall.  He loves to be on the outside walls of my front porch.  This strange visitor is a praying mantis.  I haven't seen one for quite a while.  I think they look so elegant and graceful -- for a bug, anyway:)

Be sure to come back for my next post.  My Scraps and Prayers group will be sharing a decor project they made in our last class.  We had so much fun!!!

The Latest Scoop:
I HAVE 2 REMAINING KITS FROM OUR CHRISTMAS RETREAT. / EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO MAKE 18 CARDS! / $40.00 

December 11 -- Scraps and Prayers Class:
     5:30-7:30 / $15.00 / Christmas Cards and Tags
It's going to be a party atmosphere at our last class for 2017.  I've even been working on a hand made present for you!  The class is filling up fast, so be sure to reserve your spot right away!

Tentative 2018 classes and events schedule, coming soon!

- Thanks for stopping by my corner of the blogging world.

- Come back often for more creative inspiration.

- Let's create something beautiful today.

Faux Watercolor in Rich Razzleberry with Tutorial

Rich Razzleberry is another color that I forget to use more often.  It truly is beautiful.  Looking back at a couple of posts, I realize that I've unconsciously put forth an effort to use more of a variety of colors.  We can't have any colors feeling left out.  Right?  Today's card is done with a Faux Watercolor Technique.  I love how it turned out. 

I've seen several versions and varieties of this technique and decided that this leaf stamp would lend itself very nicely to this technique.

Here's how you do it:
- Cut a strip of watercolor paper to use for your card.
- Stamp a leaf image using Rich Razzleberry ink.
- Immediately color in the leaf using an Aqua Painter.
- Continue stamping, one leaf at a time, and coloring it in.
- Stamp off for a few of the leaves, to create a lighter image.
- Color in the leaf after stamping off, as well.
- Stamp a few 'speckles' (Gorgeous Grunge) with VersaMark ink.
- Emboss the speckles in gold.
- Add a text and emboss it in gold, as well.
Want even more sparkle?
- Try coloring in a few of the leaves with Clear Wink of Stella.   
Why do you need to color each leaf immediately after stamping it? 
If you stamped all the leaves before coloring, they would dry before you could 'spread' the ink with your Aqua Painter.  You would lose the effect of them being watercolored. 

I could have added other embellishments but, when I tried them on the card, I decided I liked this one just clean and simple.
Tip:
Be sure your Aqua Painter is not too wet or you'll have a real watercolor mess instead of a faux watercolor:)

Can you think of other color stories and/or other stamps that would work well for this technique?  If you come up with some, be sure to share.  

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Rose/Circle Card And A Short Tutorial

Here's a fun card for you today that makes good use of 2 main dies.

To create the rose in the circle:
Select the circle die that will fit directly around the rose die.
Center the rose inside the circle and cut both of them together, using black CS.

You'll need to punch out the black scraps from your rose.

Cut another circle (same size) in white.

Assemble all the black pieces over the white circle, as shown in photo  below.
Attach them in place and you're ready to finish your card.

A piece of black ribbon wrapped around the top 2 layers of the card just brings it all together.  I added a trio of sequins for a tiny touch of bling.  I did not add rhinestones to the sequins because I wanted the rose to be the star of the card.

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Black and Gold and A Little Tutorial

I have some great creative inspiration for you today, so let's start off our week by bumping up our creativity level ... not to mention the FUN.  I have 2 cards in black and gold and a little tutorial to help you get started.

A Little Tutorial:
- Cut heart from Bloomin' Heart Thinlits.
- Use Big Shot Die Brush to clean out the little pieces.
- Using large butterfly die from the Bold Butterfly Framelits, carefully lay it over the heart.
- Cut out the butterfly.
- Cut one plain butterfly to place behind the cut-work butterfly, to stabilize it.
- Attach it to your project and enjoy!
Tips:
- Be creative with your use of materials for your heart butterfly.
- I'll have some future posts giving you more ideas on using the heart and the butterfly.

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Tutorial for My Happy Flowerpot Card

I am thrilled to say that I've received a lot of fun emails since my previous post.  Everyone was excited to learn more about my Happy Flowerpot Card.  I guess it ended up being a teaser,
So... here are the details.  

General tips and info for my cards:
Inside of card:
I like to line the insides of my cards with a 4 X 5 1/2" piece of CS.  I either stamp on parts of it or, as with this card, I add a strip of coordinating DSP --- usually just 1" wide.

Coordinating envelope:
I either stamp on the envelope or add DSP to the flap on the envelope or cut an envelope liner from DSP.

The card front for this card:
Cut a card base of CS  (4 1/4 X 11").
Score at 5 1/2" (using Simply Scored Tool) and fold.  Crease using a bone folder.
Cut a piece of CS (4 X 5 1/4").
Lay this piece over the front of your card base with the card open.
Cut the smaller circle first, just as you would when using 2 punches, through both layers.
Now you know your circles will be lined up.
Use the opening to determine where to place the next larger size framelit.
Cut this larger circle through just the top piece of CS.
Stamp or emboss after cutting out your circle.
Attach this top layer using dimensionals.
Cut a 4 X 5 1/2" piece of DSP and another piece of CS (same color as base/same size as DSP).
Attach these 2 pieces together and then attach behind the front of the card, so the DSP shows through the circle opening.
Cut 'happy' and determine where to attach the ends of the letters.  Place Liquid Tombow or 2-Way Glue over the ends of the word and carefully attach over your circles.
Sit back and admire.

Whew!  There you have it.  Please let me know if you have any further questions.  I love sharing with you.  I hope you'll try a card like this.  Once I figured out the circle placements, the rest was super simple.  Let me know if you come up with a new version of this and share it with all of us.

Click here to see all the photos of my card.

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- Click on the tab at the top to see my class schedules.

- See sneak peeks and class registration policies on the left. 

- Come back soon for more creative inspiration.

Tips for Butterfly Thinlits Dies

You have probably noticed that I've been cutting a lot of butterflies lately.  I love them!  They add so much to a project.  Here are some tips to help you in working with the Butterfly Thinlits Dies.

When cutting with any thinlit die, it's all about the 'sandwich' you make to prepare for your cutting.
My sandwich, from the bottom up:
- magnetic platform
- cutting plate
- 1 dryer sheet
- card stock
- double layer of waxed paper
- thinlit die
- cutting plate
Please note:
The tension on each Big Shot varies from others.  You must get to know your own Big Shot and whether or not you need more than 1 dryer sheet or shim to help cut cleanly.  Never force anything through your Big Shot.  You could seriously damage it.

Because of your unique 'sandwich' for this project, you need to roll it through more than once.  Roll the 'sandwich' back and forth through your Big Shot 3 or 4 times.  I do 4 to get best results with my Big Shot.

I actually have 2 sets of the thinlits dies for the butterflies, to make class prep easier.  I can cut 3 butterflies with 1/2 sheet of CS.
Next:
- Remove your top cutting plate and pull up the waxed paper.
- The dies will come up, too.
- Gently pull your butterflies from the CS.
- Almost all the pieces will stick to the dryer sheet!
- Flick your fingers over any remaining pieces and they'll pop right out.

You have one remaining job to do before you can continue your project.  You need to clean up your die.  You will have a layer of waxed paper still on the back of the die.  I use a very handy tool that I found online.  I poke a bit to start to loosen the waxed paper.  Then, I use the piercing end of my tool to slide under the top edges of the wings.  I can then pull off the waxed paper butterfly.  Rather than using a piercing tool to poke out all the remaining tiny pieces, I roll the roller brush end of my tool back and forth over the top of the thinlit die and they fall right out.  It's amazing!

One bit of sad news:
Stampin' Up! is really suffering with backorders because of a dock strike.  It has created a royal mess out of shipping.  So many people have wanted these dies that they've had to take them offline temporarily so they wouldn't create a mess of backorders.  Be patient and they will be back.  In the meantime, if you have any other dies with intricate cutting, such as the butterflies, try this technique to help you have an easier time of it.  I have used it with our gorgeous Darling Doily Thinlit and it works great!

Click here to enjoy a video about these gorgeous Butterfly Thinlits Dies.

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world.

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

How to Make Your Own Beautiful Bouquet... and It's Allergen Free

Do you love flowers but your allergies go nuts around them?  I have good news for you!  Today, I have an entire bouquet of flowers and it's all allergen free!  I've used our new In Colors to create them.  They are made with our filter papers.  Take a look!

Aren't they pretty?  I put one of my vintage finds to use and placed my flowers in this gorgeous blue, vintage pitcher.  I got it for a super bargain price because there's a tiny chip in the back.  I knew I could still enjoy using it and just not place this one where you could see the back.  Sometimes, a beautiful bouquet can be nestled into a corner and look gorgeous.

I used the clear floral filler 'marbles' in my vase to help the flowers to stand up.  I used my handy dandy wire cutters to trim the stems to the right length.

I used the next to the smallest framelit to cut a double layer backing for the flower and give a way to attach the stem.  I found these wrapped floral wires at my fabric store and really like them.  I used my bone folder to help me fold a right angle at one end of the wire (They're sturdy!) and then attached it between the flower and the green backing piece.  I spritzed these to get the green.  I think, next time, I may just use CS for this piece.

Remember, here's how the flowers were cut:

You can use the largest or the next to the largest framelit for this shape of flower.  You will notice that you have 3 other flower shapes that you could use for a slightly different flower.  Try each one and see which size you like the best.
Tip:
To get a perfect center for your brad, fold your scrap piece in half both ways (I marked mine so you can see it better.) and lay your flower back into the negative part of your scrap.  You can easily see where your center is going to be now.  I've used the next to the largest framelit.  I think it makes a great size for a flower.

So grab your filter paper and give these flowers a try.  What a wonderful boost of color they bring into your home!

 Here's how to make them:
1.  Using all 8 circles from a package of our filter paper, cut floral shape using the next to the largest of our Floral Framelits dies.  You can cut them all at once, because the filter paper is so thin.  (You could also fold over the long papers from the package and cut all 8 of those layers.)
2.  Lay floral shape onto a piercing mat and pierce a hole through the center.  Attach a small brad to hold them together.
3.  Carefully separate just the top layer.  Pull and pinch it together until it's standing straight up.
4.  Carefully separate the next layer.  Pull it up and pinch it together around the first layer and continue doing this until all 8 layers have been pulled and pinched together.
5.  Fluff out your flower until it looks the way you want it.  Leave it white or spritz it with reinker/alcohol mixture and let dry.
6.  Cut a couple of layers of filter paper using the next to the smallest of our Floral Framelits dies.  Spritz this with Mossy Meadow reinker/alcohol mixture.  Let dry.
7.  Punch small hole in the center of this floral shape.
8.  Bend one end of a floral stem, insert into floral shape and hold in place with Liquid Tombow.  Attach this to the back of your gorgeous flower and now you have a stem for your flower.  (Trim ends of floral stems as needed, to fit into your bouquet.
OPTIONAL:
1.  Gently swipe an ink pad (same color as your flower) over the ends of the petals to add depth of color.  Be careful not to damage the ink pad.
2.  Spritz again with a shimmer mixture.  (Vanilla Smooch/Alcohol mixture)

Click here to see a review of the process.

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- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.

Color Inspiration, Part 4... the Final Part AND a Little Tutorial

Today's post is the final part of my little series on using color inspiration to guide your artistic creations.  In my 3 previous posts, I've shared color inspiration from children playing in various settings.  Today's colors are all about nature.

Using colors in nature is always a guaranteed way to have a color story that works well every time.  Mother Nature knows how to do it!  I loved my container garden this year and the colors were a wonderful inspiration to me each time I saw them.

As an artist, I love playing with color.  My eye is always drawn to color.  As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I often look at objects, especially in nature, and think of which Stampin' Up! colors I could use to create a project using those colors or shades of those colors.

Here's today's card project.

My color story:
Elegant Eggplant
Wisteria Wonder
Daffodil Delight
Wild Wasabi

Here are a couple of the photos that inspired my color story for this card project:

... and back to the card ... and how I did it ...

This card is made with our Thinlits Circle Card die.  This particular card has an extra piece or flap on it that folds in from the right side.

Here's a little mini tutorial to share with you how to make this kind of card using the die.  The photos show it with the Thinlits Label Card die, but it's the same exact technique.  Try it with both dies and see which one you like the best.

• Cut your CS to 5 1/2 X 8 1/4" --- so you can get 2 cards from 1 sheet of CS.
• Trim off a teeny, tiny sliver from the long side if it will not slip under the die as shown in the photo below.  (It becomes a sliver under 5 1/2")
• Insert the CS into the die as shown, with the right hand end sitting on TOP of the die.
• Roll all the way through the Big Shot, creating a little crease line where you roll over the last part of the die.
• Lay your cut card onto your Scoring Plate and go over the crease to create a crisp score line.  (The score line will be at 5 7/8" on your Scoring Plate.)  
• Go over it with your Bone Folder and fold up to create the flap.
• Decorate 1 or both sides of the flap with 2 1/4 X 5 1/4" CS or DSP in coordinating colors.
• Finish decorating and embellishing your beautiful card.  It's that simple!

See the extra flap.  By laying it over the die on the right hand edge and rolling over it, you create a little crease.  This becomes your scoring line and just naturally creates the extra flap.  Easy!!!

Here's another look at a previous card that was made with the Thinlits Label Card die and cut in the same way.

You can decorate the flap, inside and out, with card stock or DSP.  You can add stamped images and/or write a message.  You are limited only by your imagination.  Have fun with it!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you'll try making this new kind of card.  If you do not yet have these fabulous Thinlits, scroll down on the left side of my blog and click on the image to get all the details.  Have a great day!

- Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world. 

- Click on the tab at the top of the page to see my class schedules and registration policies or click on the left for sneak peeks. 

- Come back soon and come back often for more creative inspiration.