WoW bookmarks

Decided to take a break from the class prep and get my white on white bookmarks made up for a swap on one of my groups. White on white requires a bit of creativity. I like to use texture to add interest. I dug out everything that was white - handmade paper, cardstock, embossed paper, netting, fiber, etc. from my box of collage materials (scraps from projects that can be reused). I created a serendipity collage background by just gluing a variety of ripped up pieces from the pile to a piece of embossed cardstock. I used a lot of glue to make sure the items would stay in place, so I let that dry overnight. This morning I cut two squares from my collage to use as the bookmarks' backgrounds.

For the top one, I die cut butterflies (SU) from some wonderful flocked ribbon and three flowers from handmade paper. I added pearly flower stamens for antenna and some covered wire for a body to the large butterfly. Added pearl cotton for bodies and antenna to two others. The flowers I embellished with sequins, a die cut snowflake and a brad and added leaves hand cut from the leftover flocked ribbon.

For the second one, I embossed a little tree die cut (SX), added some glue dots which I rubbed with glitter to add a bit of bling and two snowbanks created from ripped embossed cardstock.

All the elements on these bookmarks were added with glue dots or double sided tape to make sure that all they would remain in place while the bookmark is in use. I also sprinkled baby powder over them and rubbed it in so any remaining glue would be neutralized. Necessary to enausre the bookmark would not stick to the pages of a book when in use.

I glued my little squares to triangles of folded cardstock to create the bookmarks. They sit on the corner of a page. I did add a bit of folded ribbon between the square and the triangle to make removing the book mark from a page easier.

All of the embellishments help add texture to the bookmarks as does the slight variation in the colours of the white papers used.

Another successful project!!

Here is a link to a tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers for making corner bookmarks!!

Here are a few more serendipity collage tutorials - technique zone, scrapjazz, artduscrapbooking (french but great photos) and mixedmediaarts.

Enjoy!!

Therese

Handmade paper!

Here is the stack of paper I made over the weekend. I taught papermaking on Saturday afternoon and then finished up the leftovers from the batches over the next day or so!! Great fall colours!!

I love making paper and it is so fun to do!! Imagine reusing/recycling paper scraps into new sheets of paper for crafting with!! It is so WIN/WIN!!

If you are a paper crafter consider becoming a paper maker as well. You will be able to make use of your scraps - any size works - and create very unique and one of a kind papers that will give your projects a very original and distinctive look!!

If you can't get into making your own paper then consider donating your scraps to someone who does!!

Therese

Quick and easy embossed cards!

These are quick and easy!! The embossing folder is one that is so versatile, manufactured by Crafts-Too and sold locally at Ecstasy Crafts!! My head is spinning with the options but for tonight's class I just went digging into my stash for colourful papers that would best show off this beautiful swirly frame!! I cut the pieces of decorative paper just the size I needed to fit inside the embossed frame, stamped and/or embossed them in black and glued them in!!! That easy!!

So get creative and see how many ways you can use your embossing folders!!

Therese

Clear embossing powder resist

Another resist technique!! In this case, I used clear embossing powder as the resist. Stamped the image with Versamark on white coated paper and clear embossed. After some experimentation, I went with Distress inks on these backgrounds. I applied the ink in a circular manner with the pads directly to the paper, rubbed it lightly with a dampened paper towel which softened the inks very nicely and somewhat removed the ink from the clear embossed image. I did go back in with a barely damp paper towel and remove yet more ink from the embossing powder. I think classic dye inks might have worked better for this purpose but I was really liking the look of the distressed inks!!

Thrifty Tip: I did spritz the paper towels after I was done and wadded them up to disperse the inks which works so well with the distress inks. Colourful decorative papers to be used another time!!

I layered the birdie images with a white cardstock layer to which I attached, with double sided tape, a little piece of eyelet trim. Finished it off with a colour printed greeting attached with 3D foam taper. I created the greeting in a layout program (Corel Draw) so it could be punched with my large oval punch (SU). It is a great way to create custom greetings and gives you a wide variety of colour options especially useful when you have a limited amount of stamp pads!!

Therese

Glue resist technique

Here is a close up of the decorative paper I created using the glue resist technique described here!! I "printed" with the glue several times on this sheet and the areas blended very well and did not leave obvious edge marks.

So experiment with your embossing folders!! Be sure to scan the paper you create for use in your digital art!

Just another way to use what you already have!!

Therese

Glue resist and tag cards

These cards feature background papers created with a glue resist technique!! Yes, I was on a resist technique kick!! In this case, I used my embossing folders, again, to create the resist. I spread glue onto the "bumps" of my open embossing folder with a brayer (be sure to wash both before the glue dries), laid my mustard gold paper on it and rubbed the back to transfer the glue!! Repeat until your paper is covered. Worked very well!! Once the glue was dry I used washes of acrylic paint to add colour to the paper.

After experimenting with a few options I discovered that the easiest way to remove the colour from the glue was to place a sheet of bond paper over the wet one, rub the back of it and pull it off. If you keep using the same paper to remove the colour from the resist you get a bonus sheet of decorative paper you can use at some other time. It may have been the type of glue (wood glue) I used but I found it difficult to remove the acrylic wash from the resist areas once it was dry. I expect white glue would give better resist results. In the end, I am happy with the grungy look of this paper and it suited my colour scheme very well.

The paper is ripped in the middle to give some interest and texture to the background. I added an embossed tag that features a coloured image and attached the whole thing to the card front using 3D foam tape which adds dimension. I love the rick rack which adds a touch of country to these cards and really works with the colour scheme.

Therese

Wax resist backgrounds

Here is a sampling of the wax resist backgrounds I created for my class!!

I spent a few hours playing with this technique and finally settled on using coated paper as the substrate because it gave a nicely defined resist image. You can certainly use cardstock or even thinner paper for a different look. Experiment with what you have. You can read the instructions for this technique here!

I used clear wax but you could certainly use what you have for a different look - coloured wax crayons would add a very different dimension to the look of this technique.

I am very happy to have found yet another way to use my embossing folders!!

Therese

Wax resist and postage sticker cards

Another successful evening of cardmaking!! Lots of new people and a fairly large group but we managed to get out in good time!!

These cards feature wax resist backgrounds which I created using my embossing folders!! Check out this post for more information on how I did it.

The images are postage stamp stickers made by K&Company which I bought at Michaels when I was there last week. They are all the same size which works well for a class but a variety of designs which I find works well for me in my classes. I like to change up the element and cardstock so everyone willl have

different looking cards.

This is a fairly versatile sketch as the card can be landscape or portrait and the 3D element can also have either orientation which gives several options with the same supplies!!

So, the sticker is mounted on coordinating cardstock and trimmed. The ribbon is attached to the back of the decorative paper and then this element is glued to the card front. I used 3D foam tape to attach the sticker element to the card, overlapping the ribbon, because the decorative paper is a bit waxy!!

Therese

Birdie exchange card

I am meeting with my card making buddies tonight and this is the card I made for the exchange.

I have been playing with ways of doing resist for my class tomorrow night. Check out the background - it is one of the resists I came up with. A wax resist technique that uses an embossing folder and clear wax!! I placed my paper on the "bumps" of the open embossing folder, rubbed over it with clear wax crayon then added a watercolour wash!! Voila!! A great looking background!!

For this card I mounted my background on a white card front. The bird is also a resist technique - clear embossing powder on white cardstock - to which I added a watercolour wash. They compliment each other. Layered the bird on white and added a bit of lace below that and a colour printed greeting!!

Thrifty Tip: Where do you get clear wax crayons??? I am sure they exist but I created my own by cutting up a bar of paraffin into little bars with a hot knife and then rounding them on griddle surface covered with foil. Works very well. You could use a white wax crayon on white paper, or a yellow crayon on yellow paper, etc which would allow you to use the crayons you have on hand for this resist technique. On the other hand, a crayon of a different colour would give you a totally different look!! Will have to investigate that later!! I found that the rubbing was more defined on paper - I used coated laser printer paper - but you can use paper or cardstock. You can use anything with a textured surface for rubbing as well - fabric, lace, woven mats, screening, texture plates, etc, etc - but I was happy to find another use for my embossing folders.

So play a little today and see what you can do using this resist technique!!

Therese

Halloween contest card

Another Class Act contest card!! I received the mermaid as a prize in a previous contest and with this contest's theme being Halloween I decided to see if I could make a card with the mermaid!! I am happy with the card but I think it might need a greeting or something in the lower left hand side but, for the moment, I have left it without.

Stamped the mermaid in black, embossed her with black embossing powder, coloured her in with pearly watercolours in deep green and orange and trimmed her close! Printed off the scary house - internet find - and trimmed it close as well. Added a large punchie in orange - moon - behind the house and cut out a bat from glossy cardstock to add to the sky. Used some pearly gold cardstock for the water and a piece of torn grey cardstock for a rock for her to sit on!! I laid all of these onto a black background and then onto a bright orange card front!!

Halloween is a stretch for me artistically!! Keeping it simple helped me to create a piece I am happy with!!

Therese

Transportation - Steampunk ATCs

Have been working on ATCs for the last day or so!! The theme is Transportation in the Steampunk style!! I first had to do some research to figure out what Steampunk was and then do some searching around on the internet for images!! I did find some free images that would suit the theme so I resized them and printed off my sheet and got busy!! The backgrounds I downloaded from Cemerony - Freebie 11 which is a colourful map of Paris that I thought would be appropriate. The gentleman I downloaded from this Flicker collage group from an artist - artbychristi. The train is a Dover clipart image. The car is just one from the internet somewhere. The lady's dress is from a paper doll image - thought it had credits on the page but, alas, no!! I will see if I can find it and link it when I do. The lady's head is from one of Kelly Burton's collage sheets - I just cut out the head and layered it onto the dress. The woman's face is also cut from somewhere ages ago and I do not know where I got the original.

For the left one I printed the background to which I had added the gentleman's face then using acrylic medium I glued the transparency with the car over it. I surrounded the woman's face with an open metal ring and added some clear acrylic medium to glue them to each other and give it a nice glossy look. The round letters are a set of typewriter letters I created for myself before there were fonts that would do the same thing. I just punch them out with a 1/2" punch. The word " journey" is printed on label using a Dymo font. I added an A inside a black cogged washer - no idea where it came from. You can find star washers - toothed lock washers - at a hardware store and colour them with alcohol inks or Sharpies that would give you the same look.

The one on the right has lots of layers. I coloured the dress and added the head and collar from another image. I trimmed the oval gentleman, glued him to the altered tag, added twill with a safety pin and a little gold heart charm. The train is trimmed close, coloured and glued to the bottom edge. I did add a bit of a book page behind the lady so she would stand out more from the busy background. The little metal disc - $1 store years ago - seems to just belong there!!

So now onto the rest of my day!!

Therese

Leafy card

Needed a large card - big enough to hold a CD!! I remembered I had purchased a set of the large card and envelopes at the craft store (M) a few years ago so I went searching and found them.

These stamped punchies from my stash worked perfectly for this card!! I layered the nine punchies on green and stamped a greeting which I attached with brads below them. Added some texture to the card front by stamping in light green with a script stamp and added the embellished rectangle to the card front.

Quick (not counting searching time) and easy!!

Therese

Flower ATCs!

Flower ATCs!! I just received my envelope from a flower swap and got a cool little supply of handmade flowers!! Two of them were just what I needed to add to these two ATCs in a trade with Beth. She sent along some Japanese paper in trade for this little house ATC I made a while back!! She always makes great ATCs!!

ATCs are very cool because they are so small they don't take a lot of supplies to make and usually not too much time as well.

For the left hand one I added a black border on my pink ATC blank. Linda often adds these kinds of markered borders to her journal pages and I think they are so neat so I gave it a try. Added an embossed layer and then this layered punchie flower!! Added a black stem with a marker, cut out the colour printed words and glued under the flower!!

For the second one, I found the saying in my stash of goodies gleaned from items that are headed to the recycling bin. Glued my flower on the left of my mustard ATC blank and layered on my saying after I altered it with a bit of yellow ink to help it coordinate with my flower and background. Added a sticker to the lower right hand side and some piercing at the flower's edge. Stippled a bit of green over everything to help give it a cohesive look.

Therese

Glittery blue tags!

Worked on these glittery tags yesterday afternoon!! These are for a swap and I am not sure if they are appropriate so I will ponder that for today and see if something else comes to me!!

I started by die cutting the snowflakes (SU SX) from adhesive backed paper and adding fine blue glitter to the sticky surface!! I cut the scallops from mirror card and added Spirelli with blue glittery thread to the edges. I punched out a large snowflake (MS) from the center and backed it with foil (yogurt top) which contrasted nicely with the mirror finish then added the blue glittered snowflakes with a silver brad. For the other side I stamped a little saying in blue all over white and die cut my scallop circles from that. Glued my other two blue glittered snowflakes to these then glued both of the sets to either sides of a larger scallop cut from medium blue cardstock. The last thing I did was add blue Ice Stickles to the scallops on the white and blue layers and left them over night. I have scanned both sides for you to see.

These will be great for the silver challenge on the By Hand challenge blog for this week!!

Therese

Autumn Leaves Swap card

Got creative this morning!! Worked on a card for an Autumn Leaves swap on one of my groups!! I started with the background paper - it arrived in the mail this week - gorgeous leaves in red, burnt sienna and olive - on a flyer for a vehicle!! I added a black border on all the sides with a marker and all over stamped it with a script stamp in chocolate brown. Before I cleaned my stamp I rubbed the inked rubber on the edges of my green cardstock to just antique them a bit. I stamped three leaves in brown, watercoloured them and added some acrylic sealer to just give them a bit of a sheen. When I used my heat gun to dry them the sealer bubbled a bit and gave them a bit of texture - bonus!! I ripped apart the vellum quote, stippled the pieces with red, green, yellow and brown ink, wrapped them around the background paper and attached this layer to the card front. I added punched leaves which I had embellished with watercolour in an all over pattern and then glued down my large leaves with 3D foam tape in a pleasing arrangement.

Thrifty Tip: I always check my incoming mail for anything that would be good for including in my art - backgrounds, coloured glossy, letters to be cut out, text that can be over stamped, interesting images, etc. Worthwhile checking your recycle bin for items that can be reused - tissue boxes - great for making ATC blanks, clear plastic for die cutting shapes, foil tops from yogurt, etc that can be embossed, newspaper text to be used as backgrounds, boxes that can be used for chipboard, envelopes that can be ripped open and stamped or die cut, an old phone book that can be used as a gluing surface (glue and rip out when too gunky), magazines pages for making paper beads or faux cloisonne, etc.

The weather is cooling and leaves are changing colour!!

Therese