stamp out loud by tami sanders

it's in the bag...

Holidays are a great time to get your kiddos involved in crafting, and Halloween is a holiday that definitely centers around children.

My youngest son Chris, likes to take little gifts to school for his friends for the "big" holidays, and for Halloween, we usually put together treat bags.

Well, this year, we decided we were going to make some! We started with plain brown lunch bags, and decorated them in 2 ways using different sets of supplies and techniques for each...

 

To make the Pumpkin Bag, I drew a pumpkin on a sheet of paper and cut it out to make a stencil {I forgot to take a pic BEFORE we spritzed! LOL!}...

 

We first sprayed the bag using Smooch Spritz in Gingersnap and Carrot Cake, then, we placed the stencil over the bag and sprayed again using Black Velvet Smooch Spritz. 

 

Insert your treats and tie the bag up with twine...

 

For the DOTS BAG, we got out the Rollagraph - which is ALWAYS a favorite with kids! We used the Stamping Guide to roll the pattern on a diagonal. Using the Self-Inking Handle is key to keeping it fun and easy for kids since they can roll and roll and never have to worry about reinking the Stamp Wheel. Since the bag has creases, folds and seams, the design is NOT going to roll on perfectly - but that's ok! It's supposed to be fun, not perfect!

Then, after the dot design was rolled onto the bag, it was time to embellish using Smooch Accent Inks. Chris used several colors of Smooch Accent Ink to color in some of the dots. You don't need to color in ALL the dots, just let them color in as many as they want...

 

Then tie with colorul ribbons after the treats are added...

 

Make one design or both! Your kids will be proud to hand out treats in bags they made themselves!

“pumpkin” treat bag

Skill Level: easy: kid friendly project

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Gingersnap, Carrot Cake and Black Velvet and Color Catcher

Other: brown paper lunch bags, hand drawn template {or use a stencil} treats and twine

Tools: scissors 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place bag in Color Catcher, spray with Gingersnap and Carrot Cake Smooch Spritz.

2) Place stencil over bag and spray again with Black Velvet Spritz.

3) Fill with treats and tie with twine.

HINT: after you make your paper template, trace and cut from cardboard for a sturdier stencil for multiple uses.

 “dots” treat bag

Skill Level: easy: kid friendly project

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Rollagraph: Jumbo Self-Inking Handle, Jumbo Ancient Page Ink Cartridge: Coal Black and Jumbo Stamp Wheel: Mixed Dots, ColorBox Stamping Guide and Smooch Accent Ink: Sundance, Kiwi, Carrot and Sugarberry

Other: brown paper lunch bags and ribbon

Tools: scissors 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Load handle with cartridge and stamp wheel.

2) Use Stamping Guide to roll pattern on diagonally over front of bag.

3) Use Smooch Accent Inks to color in some of the dots.

4) Fill with treats and tie with ribbons.

I hope you will give these projects a try and get YOUR kids involved in crafting!

There are MORE Halloween projects coming, so please come back to see what's new!

And if you'd like even MORE great projects featuring Clearsnap products, please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog.

 

trick or treat time!

For the next few weeks the theme for the blog will be HALLOWEEN!

Everything about Halloween just SHOUTS fun! Getting to dress up as anything you can imagine, the colors - bright orange and midnight black, and the candy! Don't forget the candy!

Today's project is a sparkly, shimmery, fun little card that combines a few different products: Smooch Spritz, Design Adhesives, stamps, ink and glitters... 

 

The card began by spraying a piece of gray cardstock with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz, then stamping it with the spider web stamp. The design was then cut out and adhered to the card front to provide a shimmery, silvery backdrop...

 

Then Trick or Treat Design Adhesives were used to add a border at the top and bottom of the card as well as the sentiment...

 

 

 
 
Design Adhesives are a quick and fabulous way to add embossed or glittered accents to your projects. Think of them as an adhesive rub-on; you rub on the design, peel off the backing, then sprinkle on your glitter or embossing powder. They come in strips that can be used as is, or you can cut apart the designs as was done in this card.

Next, a few stamped element were added to complete the card...

 

 
 
If you'd like to make this spooky, bling-y card yourself, here are the supplies and directions you'll need... 

“no tricks” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Vivid! Dye Ink: black, Smooch Spritz: Silver Foil, Design Adhesives: Trick or Treat, Glitter: Peridot, Sparkling Amethyst and Sweet Orange and Color Catcher

Hero Arts: Large Web Clings Stamp and Month October ClearDesign Stamps

Hampton Art: Flip Flops: Spooky

Bazzill: card - blackbird from Card and Envelopes set, Intense Kiwi, Fig Swirl and Orange Crush cardstocks

Tools: scissors, adhesive and dimensional foam dots 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Place a 5 X 7 piece of gray cardstock in Color Catcher and spray with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz; set aside to dry.

2) Cut apart border strips from Trick or Treat Design Adhesives strip. Apply dotted strip to top of card, trimming excess. Remove backing and sprinkle with Peridot glitter, tap to remove excess. {HINT: a clean and dry foam brush works great to remove excess glitter as well}. Repeat using striped strip along bottom of card and Sweet Orange glitter.

3) Stamp gray cardstock with web stamp inked with Vivid! black ink. Cut out around web design and adhere to front of card.

4) Cut apart "no tricks" and "just treats" from Design Adhesives strip, apply designs to front of card as shown. Remove backing and sprinkle with Sparkling Amethyst glitter.

5) Stamp "Happy Halloween" on orange cardstock using Vivid! black ink. Cut out and adhere at an angle at upper left corner of web using dimensional foam dots.

6) Stamp "OCT" circle design on lime cardstock using Vivid! black ink. Cut out and adhere at lower right corner of web using dimensional foam dots.

Please stop back by for MORE Halloween treats!

And if you'd like even MORE great projects featuring Clearsnap products, please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog.

water the flowers...

Today is the last day for “vintage” themed projects; next we are moving on to HALLOWEEN!

 

I LOVE Halloween, it is one of my favorite holidays, and I thought it was time to feature some spooky cards and projects so you’ll have time to create them before the holiday.

 

But, first, let’s talk about today’s project…

 

Like the two previous cards, this card utilizes the multi-roll technique using the Rollagraph, you can review it HERE…

 

To create the floral designs, the Botanical Tiles Stamp Wheel was rolled forward, back and forward again using the Stamping Guide to keep the design straight.

Each block of the floral design was cut apart into individual squares. Then ColorBox Archival Dye Inks were used to tint the flowers…

 

The ColorBox Archival Dye Inks can be used like watercolors to add some flair to your stamped designs, and no fancy equipment is needed…

 

I used a plain foam plate as a palette and just dabbed the ink several times on the surface to transfer some of the ink…

 

 

 

You could also use wax paper, or any other non-porous surface that you wouldn’t mind if it stained. {inks may or may not come completely off depending on the surface – so I wouldn’t use your good china! J}

 

And just like with watercolors, you can blend one or more ink colors to create a color of your own… 

 

  

 

I used beauty swabs as my “brushes”, since they have a nice fine point at the top and hold the inks well.  To use, just first dip the swab in the water, then into the ink to mix, add more water for a lighter color, less for a more intense shade.

 

Here are closeups of the flowers that were “painted” using the Archival Inks…

 

 

 

 
 

 

The background for the card was done by using the Say What? Stamp Wheel rolled on the regular way in several rows to cover the front of the card...

 

 

 

The sentiment was stamped on a separate piece and cut out so it could be mixed in with the floral squares…

 

When I adhered the squares and the sentiment, I only placed glue at the center of each piece, then gently bent the corners up to add some dimension.

If you haven’t painted with your inks, you might want to give this technique a try. Once you mastered the basics, then you can experiment with layering multiple colors and shading. The bright, vibrant colors of the new ColorBox Archival Dye Inks make them perfect for this technique.

Here are the supplies and directions to make this card yourself… 

 

“grateful garden” thank you card

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Frosted Plum, Grasshopper, Lemon Drop, Golf Course, Mudslide, Atlantic Blue, Pinkolicious, Tree Frog, Mermaid and Seattle Sky, Rollagraph: Jumbo Stamping Wheel: Botanical Tiles and Say What?, Jumbo Self-Inking Handle and Jumbo Ancient Page Ink Cartridge – Gray Flannel, ColorBox Stamping Guide and ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Charcoal

 

Bazzill: Cards and Envelope set: green card and Walnut Cream and Maltball cardstocks

 

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messages ClearDesign Stamps

 

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, foam plate {or other non-porous surface}, beauty swabs and water

 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Load Jumbo Self Inking Handle with Jumbo Ancient Page Gray Flannel Ink Cartridge and Say What? Jumbo Stamp Wheel. Roll horizontally across front of card using Stamping Guide to keep image straight. Add more rows until card front is covered.

 

2) Change wheel to Botanical Tiles Jumbo Stamp Wheel and roll design forward, back and forward again on cream cardstock, using Stamping Guide to keep images straight.

 

3) Cut squares of rolled design apart.

 

4) Tint with ColorBox Archival Dye Inks as described above.

 

Color Guide:

Pink Flowers: use Pinkolicious for petals, mix in a little Seattle Sky to shade edges of petals, use Pinkolicious with less water to add centers, use Golf Course and Tree Frog for leaves and stems.

 

Purple Flower: use Frosted Plum for petals, use Lemon Drop to add centers, use Tree Frog for leaves and stems.

 

Yellow Flower: use Lemon Drop for petals, use Pumpkin Pie for shading and mix Pumpkin Pie with a little Mudslide to add centers, use Grasshopper for stem.

 

Blue Flowers: use Mermaid for petals, use Pumpkin Pie to add centers, use Grasshopper mixed with Tree Frog for leaves and stems.

 

6) Stamp sentiment using Charcoal Chalk Ink on cream cardstock and cut out.

 

7) Cut a 2" X 7" piece of gray cardstock and adhere about 3/4" from top of card.

 

8) Arrange and adhere flower squares and sentiment, placing adhesive just at centers. When dry, bend up corners of pieces to add dimension.

 

Thanks for stopping by! Please be sure to come back for some Halloween project treats!

 

Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!)

wheel goes 'round - part II

In the last post, I shared a technique using the Rollagraph. Usually when you apply a design using the Rollagraph and Stamp Wheels, you roll in one direction, once across your project. But the post showed how you could create a variation of the design by rolling across the project back and forth one or more times.

You can review the techniques and photos of the samples I made HERE.

The technique was used with the Palm Fronds Stamp Wheel to create the main design elements for this card...

 

The design was rolled forward, back then forward again, which filled in the palm design a little more with each pass. The palm design on the background mat was only rolled once.

Here is a closeup of the design...

 

The sentiment was stamped on a separate piece of paper, cut out, and applied to the front of the card...

 

Here are the supplies and directions you'll need if you'd like to make this card... 

“palms” thank you card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Rollagraph: Jumbo Stamping Wheel: Palm Fronds, Jumbo Ancient Page Ink Cartridge: Palm Leaf and Jumbo Self-Inking Handle, ColorBox Stamping Guide and ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messages ClearDesign Stamps

Bazzill: Kraft and Walnut Cream cardstock

Petersen Arne: Dark Brown and Pine Green cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 7 X 8 piece of pine cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Cut a 2 3/4 X 6 3/4 piece of brown cardstock and adhere to front of card.

3) Cut a 2 1/2 X 6 1/2 piece of kraft cardstock. Load Jumbo Handle with cartridge and wheel, and roll design over cardstock using Stamp Guide to keep the motif straight. Adhere to center of dark brown cardstock on front of card.

4) Cut a 2 1/2 X 8 piece of kraft carstock. Roll design forward, back and forward again across cardstock using Stamp Guide to keep motif straight. Cut design apart at marks in the motif - you need 3 complete sections. Ink each piece using Mudslide Archival Ink. The space evenly on front of card and adhere.

5) Stamp "thank you" on a small scrap of kraft cardstock. Cut out and ink edges using Mudslide Archival Ink. Adhere in lower right corner of card

I have one more card to share using this technique AND there will also be a BONUS technique featuring the new ColorBox Archival Dye Inks!

If you'd like even MORE great projects featuring Clearsnap products, please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog.

and the wheel goes 'round...

I made a happy little discovery today while stamping with the Rollagraph and I wanted to share it with you.

I usually spin the Rollagraph Stamp Wheel a few times on some scrap paper to get the ink started and "primed" before I begin stamping on my project. Most of the time, i just roll the wheel forward across the paper until I reach the end, then maybe go back and do it again. But today, I rolled the wheel forward and then back, and I noticed something interesting. I was using the Jumbo Rollagraph Palm Fronds Stamp Wheel, and by rolling the image once, then rerolling back over it, it created a "new" image. The palm fronds were thicker, giving the stamp a more "lush" look. So I began experimenting with different wheels and the number of times I rolled the image.

Here are some of the results...

 
 The above images were stamped using the Palm Fronds Stamp Wheel. The image on the right is what one roll of the wheel looks like. The image on the left is how the image appears when rolled forward, then back, then forward again.

 
These images were stamped using the Marble Background Jumbo Stamp Wheel; the image on the right was rolled once, and the one on the left was rolled twice - forward and back. I rolled the "forward" roll lightly, then rolled backward a bit heavier. This added some color variation as well as layering on more texture.

 

And finally, I tried using the Botanical Tiles Jumbo Stamp Wheel. Once again, the one of the right was rolled once, and the image on the left was rolled forward, back and forward again. The image was almost 3D. 

For all these images, the ColorBox Stamping Guide was used so that the rolled images came out nice and straight. This tool is VERY handy when using the Rollagraph - the guide has grippy little feet on it that hold it in place so you can roll the wheel along it.

I decided to use the technique to make a few cards; I'll be sharing one of the cards today, and the other two will be coming up later. All three cards are a little on the "vintage" side, so they go with the current theme on the blog. And if you happen to need a thank you card, or 2 or 3 - you are in luck! As all three cards are for that occasion.

Today's card features a background rolled using the Marble Background Jumbo Stamp Wheel. The image was stamped using the Bordeaux Ancient Page Ink Cartridge. I rolled forward using light pressure, then rolled back using heavier pressure...

 

here's a closeup of the background...

 

I wanted a soft pearly sheen for the leaf images, so i used metallic shades of ColorBox Pigment Ink.The leaves were pinned to a square of canvas for a rustic touch...

 

the sentiment was stamped using two ink colors and two different stamp sets...

 

Grab your Rollagraph and a couple of wheels and cartridges and give this technique a try. Experiment with pressure, placement and multiple ink colors.

If you want to start with this example, here's what you need to know...

“leaf trio” thank you card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Rollagraph: Jumbo Stamping Wheel: Marble Background, Jumbo Ancient Page Ink Cartridge: Bordeaux and Jumbo Self-Inking Handle, ColorBox Stamping Guide, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Gold Brocade, Raw Silk, Burnt Copper and Silver 

 Hero Arts: Small Variety Alpha and PolyClear Stamps and Scattered Leaves and Heartfelt Messages ClearDesign Stamps

Bazzill: Kraft, Walnut Cream cardstock and ivory card from Card & Envelope Set

Other: May Arts: jute - natural, JoAnn's: pearl tipped straigh pin and canvas

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 6 1/2 X 3 1/2 piece of kraft cardstock. Load Jumbo Self-Inking Handle with Bordeaux Ink Cartridge, then load Marble Background Stamp Wheel. Roll on 2 rows of design lengthwise down the cardstock using Stamping Guide. Use light pressure to roll on the first layer, then heavier pressure when you reroll over the first images.

2) Adhere background to front of card.

3) Use alpha stamps to spell "THANKS", and then ink using Burnt Copper Ink, stamp in lower right corner of card.

4) Ink "heartfelt" stamp with Gold Brocade ink a stamp above and to the left of "THANKS".

5) Ink "thank you" leaf using Raw Silk ink and stamp on cream cardstck. Then ink wide leaf using Gold Brocade and Oak Leaf using Silver. Stamp both on cream cardstock. Cut out when ink is dry.

6) Cut a 3" square of canvas. Pull threads around edges to distress them. Arrange pins on canvas and secure with staight pik.

7) Cut 3 - 8 1/2" pieces of natural jute; then adhere down center of card.

8) Adhere the canvas piece to the front of the card to finish.

I hope you will come back by to see what else I made using this technique {and there is another fun technique to be shared as well!}

And please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

lunch bunch...

The kids are back in school and everyone is settling back into the "school clothes ready, lunch packed, homework done" routine.

It always seems a bit hectic after the lazy days of summer; I know it takes me awhile to adjust.

And, it's probably not easy for the kids to jump back into getting up early and leaving the "summer fun" behind either.

So, why not add a little surprise to their lunchbox. These projects were made using some of the same stamps and inks used in the "first day of school" layout that was posted a few days ago...

 

Pack this bookmark and "notes"-book into their lunch bag or backpack separately or together to give your kiddo a little unexpected surprise to brighten up their day! 

Both projects are VERY simple to make and you can complete them BOTH in only about 30 minutes.

These would also be cute projects to make if you needed to make some goodies for the class, as they are also very inexpensive.

The bookmark was stamped with a background alpha stamp...

 

 then "reading is fun" was stamped and embossed on a separate piece and added...

 

 

a tassel finishes it off...

 

The "notes"-book starts with a mini composition book. Half is covered with the same stamped alpha background as used on the bookmark, and the other half is covered with brown cardstock...

 

Individual letters were stamped, embossed and cut out to make the "notes" portion...

 

And "my" was stamped on a separate piece of paper and adhered over the top of some twine that was tied around the alpha portion...

 

So if you've got a spare 30 minutes and would like to give your kiddo's school day a little lift, here are the supplies and directions you'll need to make this set...

“lunchbox surprise” bookmark and mini "notes"-book set

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide, Lemon Drop and Atlantic Blue, Watermark Ink and Top Boss: Embossing Powder - Red

Hero Arts: Simple and Basic ClearDesign stamps 

Memory Box: Alpha Background wood mount stamp

Bazzill: Kraft, Chocolate Cream and Butter Cream cardstocks

Other: mini composition book and jute

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, dimensional foam dots, hole punch and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

Bookmark:

1) Cut a 2 X 8 piece of kraft cardstock and stamp alpha background with Mudslide Archival Dye Ink along piece.

2) Ink edges using Lemon Drop Archival Dye Ink.

3) Stamp "reading is fun" on a piece of cream cardstock using Watermark Ink, emboss with Red embossing powder. Then tear out sentiment and ink edges using Atlantic Blue Archival Dye Ink. Then adhere piece in center of bookmark.

4) Punch a hole at top and attach jute tassel.

"notes-" book:

1) cut a 2 X 4 1/2 piece of kraft cardstock and stamp alpha background with Mudslide Archival Dye Ink along piece.

2) Ink edges using Lemon Drop Archival Dye Ink.

3) Stamp "MY" on a piece of kraft cardstock using Atlantic Blue Archival Dye Ink. Cut out and ink edges using Mudslide Archival Dye Ink.

4) Tie a piece of jute around alpha stamped piece about 1/3 of the way down, tying in a bow at the left side. Then adhere "MY" piece over the jute using dimensional dots.

5) Stamp "N", "O", "T", "E", "S" on cream cardstock using Watermark Ink, embossing with Red embossing powder Cut out letters, inking edges using Mudslide Archival Dye Ink.

6) Cut a 1 1/2 X 4 1/2 piece of brown cardstock and adhere it to the right side of the mini composition book.

7) Adhere alpha piece along left side of composition book, sliding "notes" letters in along right edge and adhering them as well.

I hope you - and your kids - enjoy this project!

Please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

school days...

I have a few more vintage-inspired projects to share before we move onto another theme.

Today's project is a scrapbook page that features a "first day of school" photo...

 

Several vintage-style stamps were used to create this layout. First the mat for the photo was stamped using Atlantic Blue Archival Dye Ink on light blue cardstock. The edges were distressed with Mudslide Archival Dye Ink...

 

Then, an alphabet stamp and Mudslide Archival Ink was used to create a border...

 

The same alpha stamp was also used to stamp letters for the title; the letters were cut out from the stamped image...

 

And the rest of the title was stamped in Red Devil Archival Dye Ink on cream cardstock and put in a nameplate...

 

And for another vintage touch, a paperclip was used to adhere the photo to the mat...

 

If you'd like to make this layout to display your back to school photos, here's what you'll need to know...

“first day of school” mini scrapbook layout

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide, Cookie Dough, Atlantic Blue and Red Devil

Hero Arts: Simple and Basic ClearDesign stamps and Aged Print Frame Clings stamp

Memory Box: Alpha Background wood mount stamp

Bazzill: Kraft, Nautical Blue Light and Butter Cream cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, file, bookplate, 2 antique gold mini brads and paper clip 

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 6 X 6 piece of kraft cardstock, ink edges using Mudslide Archival Dye Ink.

2) Ink frame stamp with Atlantic Blue Archival Dye Ink and stamp onto a piece of light blue cardstock. Cut out around design.

3) Ink alpha stamp with Mudslide Archival Dye Ink and stamp onto a piece of kraft cardstock until image reaches at least 6" long. Trim around design at edges, and trim piece to 6" in length.

4) Ink alpha stamp with Mudslide Archival Dye Ink and stamp onto a piece of light blue cardstock. Cut out individual letters to spell "first day of".

5) Stamp "school" with Simple and Basic alpha set onto a piece of cream cardstock using Red Devil Archival Dye Ink.

6) Crop photo, tearing along right edge. Use file to distress photo around all edges. Then ink edges with Cookie Dough and Mudslide Archival Dye Inks.

7) To assemble, adhere frame to background, then paperclip photo to alpha strip and adhere to background.

8) Slip "first day of" cut out letters under left edge of alpha border as shown and adhere.

9) Trim "school" piece to fit nameplate. Check placement of nameplate and mark holes. Then adhere "school" piece and attach nameplate with mini brads.

Please be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

vintage garden gate...

Inspiration can come in many forms; the idea for today's project was sparked by a stamp - Flourish Grids by Hero Arts...

 

The stamp set reminded me of a vintage garden gate, and gates should open, so that was the basic idea for the card. 

The first step was to make the stamped image look like the wrought iron - Top Boss Embossing Powder was the perfect choice for that. The powder is super fine so all the intricate details would emboss nice and clear. And once embossed, the finished design is a glossy black - just like wrought iron.

 
  
Next, an element was needed to bring in a garden feel; but I didn't want to use flowers. The image also needed to blend well with the vintage style of the card. A butterfly from the Watercolor Petals set, also by Hero Arts, was a perfect fit.  The "watercolor" description from the stamp set made me think how pretty and shimmery the butterfly would be if it was stamped using Smooch Accent Inks. This technique has been used before on several blog projects, and you can review the step by step process by reading through this post: "smooched" butterfly atc. {note: Top Boss Tinted Embossing Ink was used in the sample project and Watermark Ink was used in today's project - either can be used to achieve the "watercolor" technique with Smooch Accent Inks.}

 

 Now, all that was needed was a background and sentiment - both that would work with the style of the card. And it was Hero Arts to the rescue again - their Friends Definition stamp  worked great for the background, and the Heartfelt Messages set is done in a vintage style script.

The Friends Definition stamp was inked with Smooch Accent Inks, using the same technique as was used to stamp the butterfly... 

 

And the sentiment was stamped and embossed using Top Boss Embossing Powder in Black so it would stand out against the background...

 

Once all the elements had been stamped, the card was ready to be put together. An extra gate piece was stamped and embossed to be cut apart and used so make the side pieces...

 

and the bottom embellishment on the inside of the card...

 

There are several different steps and techniques involved in creating this card, but none of them are complicated. And when you are done, you'll have a beautiful card to express your thanks to that thoughtful someone.

“vintage garden gate” card

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Watermark Ink, Top Boss Embossing Powder : Black, Smooch Accent Ink: Carrot, Ocean Soul, Pool, Grape Soda, Tuxedo, Cherry Chocolate and Olive Twist

Hero Arts: Flourish Grids and Watercolor Petals PolyClear stamps, Heartfelt Messages ClearDesign stamps and Friend Definition Cling stamp

Bazzill: kraft cardstock

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, black permanent pen, adhesive and a heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Stamp and emboss 2 gate designs and 1 transom design on kraft cardstock using Watermark ink and Top Boss Embossing Powder in Black.

2) Cut out one of the gate designs leaving 1/2" on either side of the gate. Cut out the other gate and transom just outside embossed design.

3) Cut a 10 1/2 X 6 piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half to make card.

4) Cut gate piece with 1/2" extra at each side, in half down center of gate post. Then score each piece vertically just past outside edge of embossed design on each piece to create tabs from the 1/2" extra cardstock. Fold tabs in towards gate. {gate pieces}

5) Cut 1 - 1 1/2" piece from other gate section, then cut that piece in half to get 2 - 3/4" pieces. {side pieces}

6) To assemble gate, adhere 3/4" side pieces on top of 1/2" tabs on gate pieces, making sure that you adhere just past the fold. Use black permanent pen to ink folds so that it blends in with the gate posts.7

7) Cut out 1 post section from remaining portion of gate piece and trim to 3 3/4" length. Then trim along design. {bottom trim}

8) Ink Friends Definition stamp using Tuxedo, Pool, Ocean Soul and Olive Twist Smooch inks using watercolor technique described in "smooched" butterfly atc, substituting Watermark Ink for Tinted Embossing Ink. Stamp on a piece of kraft cardstock and set aside to dry. When dry, cut out a 3 3/4" {width} X 3 1/2" piece.

9) Stamp and emboss "so thoughtful" sentiment in upper left corner of Friends Definition piece using Watermark Ink and Top Boss Black Embossing Powder.

10)  Ink butterfly stamp using Tuxedo, Pool, Ocean Soul, Cherry Chocolate, Grape Soda and Carrot Smooch inks using watercolor technique described in "smooched" butterfly atc, substituting Watermark Ink for Tinted Embossing Ink. Stamp on a piece of kraft cardstock and set aside to dry. When dry, cut out leaving a 1/16" border around butterfly. Use edge of scissors to distress edge of butterfly design.

11) To assemble card, adhere left gate piece by TAB only making sure that the left side is even with the fold of the card and the bottom edge is even with the bottom edge of the card.

12) Adhere friends definition piece under gate having left side right up against gate fold and bottom edge even with bottom of card.

13) Adhere right gate piece by TAB only making sure that the gate meets at the center with the left gate piece. The tab may overlap the right edge of the friends definition piece slightly.

14) Adhere transom piece at center top of gate.

15) Trim away excess card from around right side and top; card will be cut around the gate design to take on the "gate" shape.

16) To finish, adhere the butterfly at the lower right and bottom trim along bottom of the friends definition piece. 

I hope this post will get you looking at your stamps and supplies in new ways. Think about how you can alter your stamps by cutting apart or combining designs and take a fresh look at your inks and embossing supplies to see how you can mix and match them to create a mood, style or look.

  Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

"sew" friendly...

The vintage style doesn't always have to mean limiting your color choices to browns, creams and black, sometimes you can infuse bursts of colors in your vintage designs. The contrast between old and new, subdued and bright can add a playful element too.

This friendship card is a good example of that...

Some colors you might usually associate with "vintage" were used for the stamped elements: browns, oranges and off white, but some bright colors have been introduced. The card itself is a vivid aqua, the stamped "friends" have had their dresses "smooched" using Pool and Kiwi,  and a few colorful flowers along with a bright ribbon and button have been added as well.

Today, the instructions for this card will be step-by-step, so you can easily create this card yourself!

First, a 4 1/2 X 5 1/2 piece of cream cardstock was placed in the COLOR CATCHER and spritzed lightly using SPUN SUGAR SMOOCH SPRITZ...

Then, GINGERSNAP SMOOCH SPRITZ was sprayed around the edges...

The Smooch Spritz will dry fairly quickly, so set this piece aside to dry while you work on some of the other elements. Ink the MAKE YOUR OWN Cling Stamp by HERO ARTS using WATERMARK INK. Then stamp image on a 4 X 5 piece of cream cardstock. Emboss using TOP BOSS COCOA BEAN EMBOSSING POWDER...

Next, cut out the lovely ladies...

 

Use a craft knife to remove the little pieces...

Ink MAKE YOUR OWN stamp again, this time using ARCHIVAL DAY INK in PUMPKIN PIE and stamp on a 4 X 5 piece of cream cardstock...

Then tear around the design and ink the edges using ARCHIVAL DYE INK in MUDSLIDE and FLUID CHALK INK in CHESTNUT ROAN...

Adhere the cut out and embossed ladies slightly down and to the right of the stamped ladies using dimensional foam dots. Then fill in the dresses using SMOOCH ACCENT INKS in KIWI, PUMPKIN and POOL {hint: blot the piece gently with a white paper towel after applying inks to prevent smearing, since the inks dry SLOWLY on NON-pourous items, you may accidentally smear them if you get any ink on the embossed portions}...

Smooched cardstock should be dry by now, so ink FRIEND DEFINITIONS Cling Stamp by Hero Arts using MUDSLIDE ARCHIVAL DYE INK and stamp image on cardstock; trim around edges.

Also ink "friends always" stamp from HEARTFELT MESSAGES ClearDesign set - also by Hero Arts, with PUMPKIN PIE ARCHIVAL DYE INK and stamp on a scrap of cream cardtock and cut out...

Cut a 10 X 7 piece of aqua cardstock and fold in half to make card. Add ribbon at bottom of card and then adhere all stamped paper elements as shown in sample card {"friends always" sentiment was adhered using dimensional foam dots}.

Next add button, flowers and jewels...

Button and Flowers are from Hero Arts: ART FLOWERS - Summer and ART BUTTONS: Summer and Jewels are from Hero Arts: HERO HUES GEMS: Brown Gemstones and HERO HUES PEARLS: Light Yellow Pearls and MEMORY BOX: PEARL STICKERS - Frost Blue 

I hope you enjoyed the step-by step photo directions for this project! Thanks for stopping by, come back soon for more vintage inspired projects.
 

simple thank you...

Two of the brand new Design Adhesives combine to create this simple thank you card that has a vintage-modern style…

 

The scroll design gets “blinged” with one of the new foils to create an accent for the card, while the “thank you” sentiment is embossed…

 

The foiled design may look complicated, but it is SO easy to do. You just rub on the Design Adhesive, your finger is the best tool to use, then lift off the protective backing to reveal the design. The design is sticky so you just lay the foil over the design, rub the foil lightly with your finger to get it to stick to the design, then pull back the foil sheet. The foil only sticks to the Design Adhesive, so there is no messy excess to have to remove. And don’t worry if you don’t get the entire design with one pass of the foil. You can just place the foil sheet back on any portions that didn’t get foiled the first time. Just keep moving the sheet around to unused parts. You won’t be able to see any lines or seams in the design either.

One of the new ColorBox Archival Dye Inks was used to edge the cardstock to create some definition between the pieces.

This card can be made in just minutes. So make yourself a set of them to have on hand and you’ll be ready to express your thanks elegantly!

“simple thanks” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Design Adhesives: Brocade and Many Thanks and Foil: Silver Fog, Top Boss Embossing Powder: Cocoa Bean and ColorBox Cat’s Eye Archival Dye Ink: Mudslide

Bazzill: kraft cardstock

Tools: paper trimmer, dimensional foam dots and adhesive

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 5 ½ X 8 ½ piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Cut a 4 X 3 ¼ piece of kraft cardstock. Apply large scroll Design Adhesive to left hand side, and a small scroll along the bottom at the right corner. Use silver foil to cover scroll designs.

3) Ink edges of cardstock piece using Mudslide ink. Adhere piece to center front of card.

4) Adhere “thanks so much” Design Adhesive to a 2 ½ X 1 3/8 piece of kraft cardstock. Emboss design using Cocoa Bean embossing powder.

5) Adhere sentiment to card at center right of card using dimensional foam dots.

If you haven’t already tried Design Adhesives, I hope this project will encourage you to try them out. They are quick and easy to use and the results look fantastic!

 Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!)

new products from CLEARSNAP!

Clearsnap released some new prodcuts at CHA and today's post will introduce them to you.

Among the new products are EIGHT brand new Smooch Spritz colors! The colors are GORGEOUS!

 

The new colors are - from left to right - Cosmic Pink, Tea Party, Carrot Cake, Citrus Tickle, Splash, Sea Breeze, River Mossy and Black Velvet.

Also brand new are these wonderful new ColorBoxCat's Eye Archival Dye Ink Queues...

 

Each of the Queue's consists of a stack of 6 different ink colors, there are 4 new Queue's, so 24 BEAUTIFUL, vibrant inks in all. And since the inks are Archival, they are permanent and safe to use on any scrapbook or papercraft project, and they are fast drying too.

The colors in the Queues are:

COFFEEHOUSE: Cookie Dough, Dark Cherry, Atlantic Blue, Khaki Green, Putty and Mudslide

BEACH TOWELS: Red Devil, Lemon Drop, Deep Grape, Glacier Lake, Golf Course and Moody Blue

TUTTI FRUITTI: Key Lime, Pinkolicious, Tree Frog, Mermaid, Grape Slushy and Wicked Black

POOL PARTY: Pumpkin Pie, Fireberry, Frosted Plum, Grasshopper, Poolside and Seattle Sky

And finally, a BUNCH of brand new Design Adhesives were released! 

Here are some Christmas and Holiday themed designs...

 

and some Spooky Halloween designs...

 

and some "everyday" designs...

 

AND --- also new for Design Adhesives are FOILS!

 

These foils are FANTASTIC! And they come in SIX great colors! Colors are {from left to right} Cherry Pie, Goldmine, Irish Eyes, Seaport, Plum Crazy and Silver Fog.

To use the foils, just rub on your choice of Design Adhesive, then place a foil sheet over the design, rub gently with your finger and VIOLA! Once you remove the foil sheet you are left with a SUPER SHINY design. And the foils work like a charm! No hard rubbing required, no excess foil left, just a super crisp "foiled" design.

Keep watching the blog for projects using these wonderful NEW products, and be on the lookout for these FABULOUS new products at your local stamp or scrapbook store soon!

vintage botanicals...

Today's blog post will introduce a new theme --- Vintage. For the next few weeks, the projects will all focus on vintage elements or a vintage look; distressed, shabby, tattered, torn and aged.

First up is a pair of ATC cards. ATC stands for Artist Trading Card; a small card - a mini work of art - meant to be traded and collected. ATC's can be simple or elaborate. The art form can be a little intimidating as some ATC's are VERY artisitic. But, you don't have to be an artist to participate in the wonderful world of ATC's.

These two ATC's, inspired by pictures of botanicals found in a vintage book, are easy to make...

 
The cards were first stamped with a background stamp using Ancient Page Ink - which is a light, sheer ink that works beautifully for that purpose.

Next, the designs were stamped one at a time so that they could be embossed using different colors of embossing powders...

 
 

Then, the embossed designs were "labeled" much in the same way as they are in reference books with "fig. {#}" using a fine tip black pen.

 

You can find friends and "artists" to swap cards with by checking with your local stamp stores or searching online forums. ATC cards are a great way to experiment with new techniques and because of their small size, they can be completed quickly too. So give them a try, and begin acquiring your own collection of miniature works of art! Or if you are already a veteran ATC'r, then try making these cards for your next swap.

Here are the directions and supplies you'll need to make them...

“botanicals” ATC cards

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  Watermark Ink, Top Boss Embossing Powder: Verdigris, Deep Green, Asparagus, Ballet Pink, Red, Lullabye Blue and Mac n' Cheese, Ancient Page Ink: Sandalwood and Sunburst {full or mini size}, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan {full or mini size} and Stylus and White Foam Blender Tips

Hero Arts: Old Letter Clings Stamp, Real Flowers and Watercolor Petals PolyClear Stamps

Bazzill: Kraft cardstock

Tools: Paper trimmer, fine tipped black pen and heat gun.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut 2 - 2 1/2 X 3 1/2 pieces of kraft cardstock to make ATC card.

2) Ink Old Letter stamp using Sandalwood ink, use a foam tip dipped into Sunburst ink to apply ink to the postmarks on the stamp, then stamp ATC card. Repeat with other card.

Leaves Botanical ATC:

1) Ink fern stamp with Watermark Ink and stamp diagonally on one of the stamped ATC card. Sprinkle and emboss with Verdigris Embossing Powder.

2) Stamp the "roundish" leaf in the upper right corner and emboss with Deep Green.

3) Stamp the small leaf in the lower left corner and emboss with Asparagus

Floral Botanical ATC:

1) Ink large flower stamp with Watermark Ink and stamp diagonally on the other stamped ATC card. Sprinkle and emboss with stem ONLY with Verdigris Embossing Powder.

2) Sprinkle and emboss the flower portion with Mac n' Cheese Embossing Powder.

3) Stamp the small 5 petal flower in the upper right corner, sprinkle Ballet Pink Embossing Powder at the center of the flower ONLY and and emboss.

4) Sprinkle remaining portion of flower with Red Embossing Powder and emboss.

5) Stamp the small profile flower in the lower left corner, sprinkle Deep Green Embossing Powder on stem ONLY and emboss.

6) Sprinkle flower with Lullabye Blue Embossing Powder and emboss.

Finishing:

1) Use ink applied using foam blender tip to distress edges of card, use touches of Sunburst Ancient Page Ink first, then go over entire edge using Sandalwood. Finally, go over card again just at the edges using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink. Repeat with other card.

2) Use black pen to add "fig.{#}" to each stamped and embossed image.

I hope you'll try making this pair of ATC cards, or experimenting with these techniques on ATC cards of your own.

Please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products.

aloha summer...

Oops! I was a bit too hasty in bidding summer goodbye! I forgot I had one last {really this time} summer project to share. American Art Stamps has an adorable little hula gal on one of their sets, and I wanted to make a card using her to wave aloha to summer...

 

 

Smooch Accent Ink was my medium of choice to color her and the border of flowers in with. The colors are so bright and so shimmery and I can't say enough about how wonderfully accurate that built in applicator is. Usually, I emboss my design to make it easier to stay within the lines when I plan on "smooching" my project. But this time, I decided to REALLY put the accuracy of those fab little applicators {as well as the steadiness of my hand} to the test. I just stamped the images using chalk ink - no little "rails" to hold the inks in and keep me inside the lines. I was able to get into the tiniest of places and really keep the inks where I wanted them.

 

To make the bamboo background, several colors of chalk inks were applied to the stamp using the Stylus fitted with the Foam Blender Tip. This gave the background some color variations.

 

Here are the list of supplies and directions you'll need if you'd like to make this card yourself...

"hula gal" card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Kiwi, Sundance, Carrot, Sassy Pink, Taffy, Snickerdoodle and Molasses ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Toffee, Butterscotch and Chestnut Roan and Stylus with White Foam Blender Tips

American Art Stamps: Hula Set

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl and Kraft cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, dimensional foam dots

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 4 X 12 piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Stamp 4 flowers down side of card using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.

3) Stamp hula gal and 3 "aloha"'s on white cardstock using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.

4) Ink stamp with Butterscotch Chalk Ink, then ink Blender Tip of Stylus using Toffee ink and apply randomly over stamp. Clean tip, then dip into Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink, apply ink sparingly and lightly in a few places on stamp. Stamp image on white cardstock and cut out.

5) Use Smooch Accent Ink ink Sundance, Carrot and Sassy Pink to color in flowers down side of card and Kiwi to fill in the leaves.

6) Use Snickerdoodle to fill in hula gal's skin, Molasses for her hair and coconut shell bikini top and Kiwi for her skirt. Then use Sassy Pink, Carrot and Sundance to fill in flowers in leis.

7) Adhere bamboo background to front of card, slightly off center towards the left. Then adhere hula gal using dimensional foam dots. Finally, cut out sentiments and adhere to front of card.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out this LAST summer project. Next up are vintage inspired projects, so please come back by soon. Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

---tami

 

end of summer...

School is starting soon and summer is fading fast, so here's the last project in the "Summer Series", a card with a simple sentiment that would work for a variety of occasions...

The colors came from one of the spectacular summer sunsets we are treated to here in Texas, this one in particular was a mix of golden yellow with touches of lavender. I thought the colors would be perfect for this summer project.

To create both the sentiment and the flowers, a resist method was used by embossing the images and then applying the inks over the them.

First, the flowers were stamped on white cardstock using Watermark Ink and embossed using Top Boss Embossing Powder in Pearl. Then, the Plum Berry Pigment Ink was applied in and around the outer petals using a Stylus and White Foam Tip...

The pigment ink is smooth and fluid and takes a little while to dry, so it is very easy to apply and blend. Once applied, the excess ink was removed using a clean white paper towel...

Next, the Sunflower Pigment Ink was applied in the same way to the center of the flower...

The same process was repeated to create the sentiment. The stamp set does come with an exclamation point, but I liked the small starburst that also comes with the set, so I paired it with the "l" to create my own exclamation mark...

You can use this resist technique with any of your stamps, and with any combination of embossing powders and inks you choose. For more contrast and a VIVID design, try it using black embossing powder and bright ink colors. If you'd like to try the technique out by making this card, here's what you need to know...

“enjoy!” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  Watermark Ink, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Plum Berry and Sunflower {full or mini size}, Top Boss Embossing Powder: Pearl and Stylus and White Foam Blender Tips

Hero Arts: Real Flowers 4 X 6 PolyClear Stampsand Curly Alphabet ClearDesign Stamps

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl cardstock

Petersen Arne: Paper Accents: mustard cardstock

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, pinking scissors, dimensional foam dots, heat gun and white paper towels.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 6 X 12 piece of white cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Cut a 5 1/4 X 5 1/4 piece of mustard cardstock and trim edges using pinking scissors. Adhere to center front of card.

3) Stamp 3 flowers on white cardstock using Watermark Ink, then emboss using Top Boss Pearl Embossing Powder.

4) Using Stylus and White Foam Blender Tip, dip tip into Plum Berry Pigment Ink and apply ink to and around outer petal of flowers using a circular motion. When done, wipe gently in a circular motion to remove excess ink. Set aside to dry.

5) Stamp "enjoy!" on a piece of white cardstock using Watermark Ink. Then emboss using Top Boss Embossing Powder in Pearl. Using Stylus and White Foam Blender Tip, dip tip into Plum Berry Pigment Ink and apply ink to and around the sentiment in a rough rectangle {about 3 1/2 X 1 3/4} Use a paper towel to remove excess ink as before, and set aside to dry.

6) Change or clean White Foam Blender tip on Stylus.Then use it to apply Sunflower Pigment ink to center of flowers. Use paper towel to remove excess ink and set aside to dry.

7) When inks have set, cut out flowers about 1/8 outside of design, and tear around edges of sentiment.

8) Adhere pieces as shown, using dimensional foam dots to adhere the flower at the center.

I hope you enjoyed this project and will give this technique a try. Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

---tami

 

just keep swimming...

Today's project is a little whimsical and hopefully might brighten the day of a friend who is in need a little encouragement...

The trio of little fishies have been stamped using Smooch Accent Ink. A past post: "Smooched Butterfly ATC" showed the step-by-step instructions for doing that. But basically, you first "prime" the stamp by inking it with Watermark Ink or Clear Embossing Ink, then dab on several colors of Smooch and blend by dabbing the colors lightly with your finger or a beauty swab {I prefer using my finger}. The resulting stamped image is almost like a shimmery watercolor; a mixture of the individual colors used as well as the blended colors created.

Some loose outlining was done using a black pen to add more definition...

To create the waves, pieces of white cardstock, with their top edges torn to resemble waves, were spritzed with Smooch Spritz. The darker blue wave received a heavy coat while the lighter one was just given a few spritzes. So although the same color was used on both, they look completely different due to the differing applications.

You can use either of either of these "Smooch" techniques to get more use from both the products and from your stamps. If you'd like to try your hand at making this card, here's all you need to know...

“happy little fishies” card

Skill Level: easy to moderate

SUPPLIES:

please refer to the "Smooched Butterfly ATC" post for step-by-step photos and directions for inking the stamps using Smooch...

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Grape Soda, Kiwi, Pool, Tuxedo, Moonlight, Carrot, Sassy Pink, Ocean Soul, Smooch Spritz: Electric Blue and Watermark Ink {full or mini size}

Hero Arts: Sea Life PolyClear Stamps

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl cardstock and Blue Eyes Bling cardstock

Other: permanent fine tipped black pen

Tools: Color Catcher, paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive.

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 7 X 7 piece of aqua bling cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Cut 2 - 6 X 2 pieces of white cardstock and tear along one long edge of each piece to create "waves".

3) Place one of the pieces of torn cardstock in the Color Catcher and spritz with an even coat of Electric Blue Smooch Spritz {darker wave}. Set aside to dry.

4) Place other piece of torn cardstock in the Color Catcher and spritz with short quick spritzes scattered across card. {lighter wave}. Set aside to dry.

5) Ink fish stamp using Watermark ink. Dab on dots of Kiwi and Pool over stamp, dab lightly with finger or beauty swab. Stamp on a piece of white cardstock and set aside to dry. Repeat using Sassy Pink with Carrot and once more using Grape Soda and Ocean Soul.

6) Cut out fish and add eye to each using Tuxedo Smooch Accent Ink, when dry, outline eye using  Moonlight Smooch Accent Ink. When eyes are dry, add details using black pen.

7) Cut a 3 3/4 X 1/4  piece of white cardstock and write "just keep swimming..." using black pen.

8) Adhere waves about 1/2 up from bottom of card. Then adhere fish and sentiment.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little card, check back later in the week for one last summer inspired project. Also please check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

---tami

 

leftovers...

Leftovers CAN be fun --- IF you use them creatively! You can also think of putting scraps to good use as recycling, so it’s Earth friendly too. But mostly, it’s about using up bits and pieces in a practical way that makes you feel good – that you are getting the most use from your supplies and your efforts!

As promised, today’s project utilizes some of the leftover papers created for the FUN AT THE LAKE Mini Book. The project starts with another bit of thrifty recycling as well, a brown paper lunch bag.

 

A folded lunch bag works great as a card since it provides a handy pocket for tucking in $$$ or a gift card…

In addition to the leftover “printed” papers, I stamped the embellishments on leftover scraps of white cardstock – who doesn’t have some of THAT on hand? I stamped all the designs using ColorBox Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink, then used ColorBox Pigment Inks, applied using beauty swabs, to fill in portions of the designs as well as some of the centers of the letters…

 

 

So, if you’d like to put YOUR leftover supplies to work, here’s the directions to tell you how…

“happy leftovers” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

please refer to the JUMP IN THE LAKE post for all the directions and supplies used to create the “printed” papers…

 

Clearsnap:  ColorBox Pigment Ink: Aqua, Marigold, Pink and Lime {full or mini size} and ColorBox Fluid Ink: Dark Brown {cats eye} and Chestnut Roan {full or mini size}

 

Hampton Art: Happy Birthday Clear Stamps

 

Hero Arts: Happy Letters PolyClear Stamps

 

Other: paper lunch bag, leftover scraps of white cardstock, and leftover “printed” papers

 

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, beauty swabs {pointed cotton swabs} and adhesive

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Fold paper lunch bag in half with notch at end to the inside. Glue down bottom half of bag that is loose.

 

CARD FRONT:

 

1) Cut a 4 ¾ X 2 piece of aqua bubbles on light aqua cardstock, a 1 ¾ X 2 ½ piece of yellow canvas stripe on white cardstock, a 2 7/8 X 1 piece of lime polka dot on pale yellow cardstock and a 2 7/8 X 1 ½ piece of pink polka dots on soft pink cardstock. Ink edges of all pieces using Dark Brown Chalk Ink and adhere as shown to front of card.

 

2) Stamp 3 gifts, “it’s my party” circle, “happy day”, and “happy birthday” on scraps of white cardstock using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.

 

3) Color in portions of the designs and letter centers using Aqua, Marigold, Pink and Lime Pigment Inks applied using Beauty Swabs. When inks are dry, cut out pieces and adhere to front of card as shown.

 

INSIDE CARD:

 

1) Cut a 2 X 4 ¾ piece of aqua bubbles on light aqua cardstock, 2 ¾ X 4 ¾ piece of pink polka dots on soft pink cardstock, a 1 ¾  X 4 ¾ piece of lime polka dot on pale yellow cardstock and a 3 ½ X 4 ¾  piece of yellow canvas stripe on white cardstock. Ink edges of all pieces using Dark Brown Chalk Ink and adhere as shown to inside of card.

 

2) Stamp “a”, “gift”, “for” and “you” using Happy Letters stamps and Chestnut Roan Chalk ink on scraps of white cardstock. Add birthday hat over swirl stamp at the end of “you” as an exclamation mark. Cut out words and ink edges using Dark Brown Chalk Ink and adhere as shown to inside of card.

 

3) Cut out an arrow from a piece of aqua bubbles on light aqua cardstock and adhere as shown.

 

Didn’t make the mini album? Don’t worry, you can use ANY leftovers to make this card, or stamp some of your own “printed” papers using scraps you DO have on hand! Also check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

 

---tami

jump in a lake...

Smooch spritz and chipboard go together like sun and fun; the colors are vivid and oh so shimmery! You can turn raw chipboard into something special with just a few spritzes of Smooch.

The pages of a scalloped chipboard mini album were “Smooched” with several different colors to create the base of the book…

All of the papers in the book were stamped, as were the word embellishments. Background cardstocks, ink colors and stamp designs were selected to accent the photos for the book: yellow, aqua, lime and pink with some brown added for good measure. Pigments Inks were used for stamping the papers as I wanted bright, bold designs and colors.

Here are close-ups of all the papers created and used in the book…

lime polka dot on pale yellow cardstock…

 

 

 

yellow canvas stripe on white cardstock…

 

 

 

aqua circles on white cardstock…

 

 

aqua bubbles on light aqua cardstock…

 

 

pink polka dots on soft pink cardstock…

 

 

Molding Mats were used to stamp some of the patterns. Molding Mats are great to use to create impressions in polymer clay, Magic Stamp or Stylus Black Foam moldable tips, but they are also wonderful to stamp with. Just place a little double sided adhesive on your acrylic block and adhere the molding mat to it to use it as a stamp. The rubber is deeply etched, so you can get crisp, clear impressions.

 

For the word embellishments, Chalk Ink was used to stamp the background pattern; then words were added using Pigment Ink. The paper was torn along the top and bottom and the edges were inked with Chalk Ink for a distressed look …

 

 

 

For the title of the book, I stamped “lake” twice, to create a shadow effect…

 

 

 

Flowers with button and pearl centers were scattered throughout to accent the pages…

 

 

 
 

After adding the book ring to bind the pages together, colorful, coordinating ribbons were added to finish the book.

 

This project can be completed in 2 to 3 hours, so if you’d like to create your own summer themed mini book, here’s what you’ll need to know…

 

“fun at the lake” mini book

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap:  Smooch Spritz: Electric Blue, Pink Sprinkles, Gingerbread and Sea Kiss, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Apricot, Cyan, Marigold, Pink and Lime {full or mini size}, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Dark Brown {cats eye} and Chestnut Roan {full or mini size} and Molding Mats: Woven Threads, Circulate and Spots

 

Hero Arts: Art Flowersand Card Buttons– Summer, Pearls: Pink Accentand Light Yellow, Happy Letters PolyClear stamps, Canvas Stripes Cling Stamp and Dots Cling Stamp

 

Memory Box: Pearls Stickers: Frost Blue

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl and Kraft cardstocks

 

Petersen-Arne: Paper Accents: light yellow, light aqua and light pink cardstocks

 

Other: 6 X 6 chipboard book and ribbons

 

Tools: Color Catcher, paper towels, paper trimmer, scissors, corner rounder, black pen and adhesive.

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

To “Smooch” chipboard book

 

1) Place chipboard page in Color Catcher and spritz front and back using Sea Kiss Smooch Spritz, repeat with 1 more page. Lay pages on paper towels to dry.

 

2) Place chipboard page in Color Catcher and spritz front and back using Pink Sprinkles Smooch Spritz, repeat with another page using Gingersnap Smooch Spritz, and last page using Electric Blue Smooch Spritz. Lay pages on paper towels to dry.

 

To create printed papers:

 

1) Ink Dots Cling Stamp using Lime Pigment Ink and stamp design onto 10 X 10 piece of light yellow cardstock.

 

2) Ink Canvas Stripe Cling Stamp using Marigold Pigment Ink and stamp design onto 10 X 10 piece of white cardstock.

 

3) Use double sided tape to adhere Circulate Molding Mat to acrylic block, then ink using Cyan Pigment Ink and stamp design onto 10 X 10 piece of white cardstock.

 

4) Use double sided tape to adhere Spots Molding Mat to acrylic block, then ink using Cyan Pigment Ink and stamp design onto 10 X 10 piece of light aqua cardstock.

 

5) Ink Dots Cling Stamp using Pink Pigment Ink and stamp design onto 10 X 10 piece of light pink cardstock.

 

To create word embellishments:

 

1) Ink basket weave portion of Woven Molding Mat using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink and stamp pattern on a 10 X 10 piece of Kraft cardstock. {hint, I cut apart the 3 patterned sections of the molding mat to make them easier to use separately}

 

2) Stamp word using Happy Letters stamps and Cyan Pigment Ink on paper, cut out around words, then tear along top and bottom edges. Ink edges using Dark Brown Chalk Ink, add additional wording using black pen if desired.

3) For title, stamp word first using Apricot Pigment ink, then stamp again slightly up and to the left of the first stamp to create a shadow effect.

 

Putting it together:

 

1) Use pieces of the stamped printed papers to accent your photos, rounding some of the corners as shown and inking the edges of the papers using Dark Brown Chalk Ink.

 

2) Add word embellishments to each page.

 

3) Add flowers and button and pearl centers to accent each page.

 

4) Connect your book using book ring, then tie ring with ribbons to finish.

 

Have some papers left over from this project? Then please stop back by for an idea using them! Also check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

 

---tami

"wood" you like to SMOOCH???

Summer accessories are fun, breezy and casual, and they can also be easy to make yourself. This necklace can be make in just an hour or so and uses stamping supplies you probably already have on hand…

Plain wood beads were first “stained” using Smooch Spritzes. Smooch Spritz can be sprayed on any porous surface, and works beautifully with wood. I sprayed the wood beads with an even coat of the spritz on all sides and the result was beautiful, vivid colors with a pretty shimmer. When the beads were dry, they were rolled across stamps inked with Silver Pigment Ink to add the designs…

When the ink had dried, a protective coat was added and the beads were then strung on leather cording with simple knots in between each one.

I selected sand and sea colors for my project, but bold, bright rainbow colors would be beautiful too.

If you’d like to make this necklace yourself, here are the supplies and directions you’ll need…

 

“sea kiss” necklace

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap:  Smooch Spritz: Log Cabin, Spun Sugar and Sea Kiss and ColorBox Pigment Ink: Silver {full or mini size}

 

Hampton Art: Artsy Edges clear stamp

 

Indus Trading Co:Build UR Beads – Wood Tube Beads – 10mm and 18mmand Realeather Craft Lace: Deerskin Lace – Chocolate - 3/16

 

Tools: scissors, Color Catcher, paper towels and heat gun {optional}

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Place 3 large beads in the Color Catcher and spritz beads using Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, turn beads to spray all sides as well as ends. Place beads on paper towels to dry {or speed up drying time using heat gun}.

 

2) Spray large beads again, this time using Spun Sugar Smooch Spritz, set aside to dry {or speed up drying time using heat gun}.

 

3) Place 12 small beads in the Color Catcher and spritz beads using Sea Kiss Smooch Spritz, turn beads to spray all sides as well as ends. Place beads on paper towels to dry {or speed up drying time using heat gun}.

 

4) Ink large border of your choice from Artsy Border stamp set using ColorBox Silver Pigment Ink. Place one large bead horizontally across stamp at one end of it and gently roll bead across stamp towards the other end until the design is applied around the entire bead. Set aside to dry {or speed up drying time using heat gun}. Repeat with other 2 large beads.

 

5) Ink small border of your choice from Artsy Border stamp set using ColorBox Silver Pigment Ink. Place one small bead horizontally across stamp at one end of it and gently roll bead across stamp towards the other end until the design is applied around the entire bead. Set aside to dry {or speed up drying time using heat gun}. Repeat with 3 more small beads. Change stamp design, and roll 4 more beads, then use another border design to roll the last 4 beads.

 

6) When beads are dry, apply a sealant to protect them and set aside to dry again.

 

7) Cut a 32” piece of leather lace, begin stringing beads on lace about 8” from end of lace. Pattern is 3 small beads, then one large bead, with simple knots in between each bead. Repeat pattern 3 times, then add 3 more small beads to finish. Trim cording so that both ends are even. I decided to leave the ends plain so I could adjust the length of the necklace with just a knot.

 

Please stop back by for more summer projects and also check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

 

---tami

just rosey...

Today’s project is bright, cheerful and summery and uses a trio of colors you might not think to use together: pink, coral and fuchsia…

I usually play it safe with colors by using combinations that play nicely with each other on the color wheel. But trying new things can be fun, and it’s only ink and paper. So I was experimenting with some non-traditional color combinations when I came up with the colors for this card. It all started with the coral, I love coral, but don’t get to use it often in my scrapbooking projects. Tan and blue came to mind while trying to decide which other colors to use with the coral, but those were “safe” choices and I wanted something a little more off-beat. First I tried pink with the coral and they looked nice together. But I couldn’t think of a third color that would work with them. The coral and pink balanced nicely, so I was looking for a color to add some punch to the project. After trying several different ink colors, I reached for the fuschia, but with reservations --- I thought it would clash. And some might think it does – and that’s okay, but I thought it worked.

The background was created using the same basic method as the last project – “Happy Thoughts” card, except this time I used Vivid! ink. Vivid! ink is a dye ink that comes in bright, vibrant colors and stamps clean and clear. The “rose” stamp comes from the same set as was used for the “Happy Thoughts” card too, although I’m sure the design isn’t a rose, it worked as one. To create the background paper, I started with the coral color, Tea Rose, and stamped several images randomly over the cardstock. Then I used the pink ink, Orchid, to stamp a few more images, overlapping some of the previous ones and filling in the background. Finally, I stamped the same design again, this time using the Fuchsia ink, randomly over the background on top of the previous images.

Since the Fuchsia ink was the boldest, it made those images seem to come “forward” creating dimension in the background paper…

I stamped a flower using the Tea Rose ink on a scrap of the same cardstock used for the background and cut it out to use as an embellishment. A few hot pink pearls at the center added a nice accent and helped tie in the fuchsia color in the background…

The sentiment was also stamped in Tea Rose ink on a cardstock scrap…

To help tie all the colors together, a coral cardstock was used to mat the background paper, and the Fuchsia ink was used to distress the edges of the card.

If you’d like to step out of your color “box” and try something different, here are all the instructions you need to make this card yourself…

 

“just rosey” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES:

 

Clearsnap:  Vivid! Ink: Tea Rose, Fuchsia and Orchid {mini or full size pads}

 

Hero Arts: Messages Clings Stamp and Sealife PolyClear stamp

 

Paper Accents: Steel Magnolia and Raspberry muslin cardstocks

 

Memory Box: Pearl Stickers: hot pink

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors and paper trimmer

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Cut a 5 X 10 piece of off white cardstock and fold in half to make card. Ink edges of card using Fuchsia ink.

 

2) Cut a 4 ½ X 4 ½ piece of coral cardstock and adhere to center of card.

 

3) Cut a 4 X 4 piece of off white cardstock. Ink “rose” stamp using Tea Rose ink and stamp randomly over cardstock. Then ink stamp using Orchid ink, and fill in gaps, overlapping previous images. Finally, stamp several images over background using Fuchsia ink. Adhere stamped background paper to center of card.

 

4) Stamp 1 “rose” on a scrap off white cardstock with Tea Rose ink; cut out and adhere at upper left of card.

 

5) Stamp sentiment on a scrap off white cardstock with Tea Rose ink; cut out and adhere at lower right of card.

 

Please come back by for more summer themed projects {I have a necklace and mini album coming up!} and be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

 

---tami

summertime...

The next few projects will focus on summer; think beach and beach umbrellas! Subtle sands and aquas and BOLD, BRIGHT cheery colors. Color will play a large part in the next several posts; colors you might expect to find together as well as color combos you might not think about using. 

Today’s project features a very traditional color combination, it is beach themed and is done in the aforementioned sands and aquas…

The colors I used were the colors that came to mind immediately when I thought about the beach ---  tan and aqua. I wanted to create my own background paper for the card, so I selected a small starfish stamp and 2 shades of tan ink: Creamy Brown and Peach Pastel Fluid Chalk Inks. I first stamped a random pattern using the darker ink then filled in the design, overlapping the previous stamps in places, using the lighter shade.

 

The result was a soft background that would coordinate with the rest of the card…

 

 

I wanted a bright pop of color for the card, so I picked one of the new shades of chalk ink, Deep Lagoon, to use as an accent color. I stamped the seahorse on cardstock and cut it out to use as an embellishment for the card.

 

When I inked the stamp, I accidentally applied it a little unevenly, but I liked the result…

 

 

For the sentiment, I stamped the scalloped circle using the Creamy Brown ink, but then used the Deep Lagoon to add another pop of color and to tie in with the seahorse.

 

I thought the sentiment needed a little “separation” from the background, so I matted it on a piece of kraft colored cardstock…

 

 

If you’d like to send some summery, happy thoughts to someone you know, here’s what you’ll need to make this card yourself…

 

“happy thoughts” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap:  ColorBox: Fluid Chalk Ink: Creamy Brown, Peach Pastel and Deep Lagoon

 

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messagesand Sea LifePolyClear stamps

 

Bazzill: Kraft cardstock

 

Paper Accents: Steel Magnolia and Ocean Breeze muslin cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors and paper trimmer

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Cut a 4 X 12 piece of aqua cardstock and fold in half to make card.

 

2) Cut a 2 ¾ X 6 piece of cream cardstock and stamp using starfish stamp. Stamp random pattern first using Creamy Brown chalk ink; then fill in gaps, slightly overstamping some of the previous designs, using Peach Pastel Ink. Adhere piece about ½ from left side of card.

 

3) Stamp seahorse on a piece of cream cardstock using Deep Lagoon chalk ink. Cut out and adhere near bottom right of card.

 

4) Stamp scalloped circle on cream cardstock using Creamy Brown chalk ink, then stamp “happy thoughts” sentiment at center with Deep Lagoon chalk ink and cut out.

 

5) Lay scalloped circle stamped side down on a piece of kraft cardstock and trace around the edges with a pencil. Mark one of the scallops with a dot, both on the back of the stamped piece and on the traced piece. Cut out traced design about 1/16 OUTSIDE of pencil line. Turn over and adhere the stamped piece to the kraft mat, matching dots on the back to line up scallops. Adhere the sentiment near the top left of card.

 

Please come back by for more summer themed projects and be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

 

---tami

 

"pails" in comparison...

Wedding favors come in all shapes and sizes and can be costly both in time and price. Sometimes it's difficult to find a premade favor that reflects the couple and feels "personal", but it can become quite expensive to have custom favors made.

 

Todays project addresses each of these problems, it starts with a plain pail that has been spruced up with some paper, ribbon, flowers and of course stamps and ink...

 

The pail itself was inexpensive and the embellishments are thrifty too; a little goes a long way in this project. It is also easy to find paper and ribbons to match the wedding colors given the variety available.

 

The front of the pail has a "seal" that includes the new couple's monogram, which is a classic way to personalize a wedding favor a ring of pearls around the seal adds a little classic elegance...

 

 

The paper band was made by first stamping and embossing a scroll pattern on 2 pieces of cardstock using an ink color {ColorBox's Pigment Ink in Robin's Egg} that complimented the wedding colors. Finding the right ink color was was VERY easy to do given the wide selection of inks Clearsnap has available. The tips of the scroll design were filled in using Smooch Accent ink, also in a coordinating color, and then the stamped pieces were matted on a cardstock band.

 

To add a subtle touch of sparkle, Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder {Top Boss} was used to emboss the scroll designs...

 

 

The flowers were pretty on their own, but adding a grouping of pearls and rhinestones at the centers made them something special...

 

 
And, don't forget about the lid, it needs a little attention too, I found a doily stamp that fit perfectly, so i stamped and embossed it, then cut it out and glued it to the lid. A flower at the center added the crowning touch.

 

If you'd like to make some of these favors yourself, here's what you need to know…

beyond the "pail" altered pail

 

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES: 

Clearsnap: ColorBox Pigment Ink: Robin's Egg {full or mini size}, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Creamy Brown {full or mini size}, Smooch Accent Ink: Snickerdoodle and Illuminate  and Top Boss: Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder

Hero Arts: Flourish Background and Circle Doily Cling Stamps and Happy Letters PolyClear stamps

 

MySentiments Exactly: Romantic Caps

 

Memory Box: Pearl Stickers: Frost Blue and White and Jewel Stickers: Deep Lagoon

 

Bazzill: Kraft, Buttercream Powder Blue cardstocks and Ribbon: Brown Gingham, Brown Stripe, Whirlpool Gingham,  Whirlpool Stripe, Whirlpool Edged and Brown Dashed

 

Prima: E-line Flowers: Brown

Other: quart size metal and clear acrylic pail

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, 2" and 2 1/4" circle punches and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Stamp and emboss doily image on ivory cardstock using Robin's Egg Pigment Ink and Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder. Cut out and adhere to lid.

 

2) Cut 2 - 6" X 2 1/4" pieces of ivory cardstock. Stamp with Flourish image using Robin's Egg Pigment Ink and emboss using Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder.

 

3) Cut 2 - 7" X 2 1/2" pieces of kraft cardstock. Adhere strips end to end and then starting at one side, wrap around pail about 2 1/2" down from top. Trim excess if necessary, overlap ends slightly and adhere.  

 

4) Adhere stamped panels to the front and back of band {they will not cover the sides of the band, there should be about a 3/4" gap at each side}.

 

5) Punch a 2" circle from blue cardstock, and stamp using Creamy Brown Chalk Ink and monogram made using Happy Letter stamps for first name initials and Romantic Cap stamps for last name initial. Go over initials using Smooch Illuminate.

 

6) Punch a 2 1/4" circle from kraft cardstock and adhere stamped monogram seal in the center. Adhere a ring of white pearls around monogram.

 

7) Wrap a 13 1/2" piece of blue ribbon edged in brown around center of band, overlapping and adhering at the FRONT. Adhere  monogram seal at center of band.

 

8) Adhere a grouping of 3 flowers around monogram seal and 1 top top center of lid. Using blue jewels and pearls, place a ewel at the center of each flower and then surround with 4 pearls.

 

9) To finish, cut pieces of ribbons and tie at left side of handle.

 

10) You can fill your pail with whatever you would like. Use some coordinating paper shred to partially fill the container, it will look pretty where it shows below the band, and the "top" of the shred can be hidden behind the band so that only what you are filling it with shows above the band.

 

This would also make a very pretty gift for the bridesmaids when filled with their favorite bath and body products. You could even use a mesh loofa instead of the shred at the bottom of the pail.

 

Please stop by Jean's Colorstyle Blog for more exciting projects using Clearsnap inks and products.

 

And, if any of you are attending the CKC in Houston, I might see you there! i'll be teaching 2 classes as well as enjoying the shopping, crops and taking a few classes myself!

---tami

let them eat cake...

When I think of cakes a vision of a French Bakery pops in my head; pink cake boxes tied up with ribbons, wrought iron cake stands and paper doilies lining all the goodies. And a French Bakery conjures up images of the shabby chic style for me; a timeless mixture of classic, vintage and romance.

 

So that is where my mind had wandered when I was sitting down to design this wedding thank you card…

 

 

 

The cardstock colors were easy to pull together; I selected an ivory and a pale pink for the main colors and white and brown for accent colors. As for ink, I chose ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in several shades of brown as it is soft and opaque and would enhance the vintage, romantic feel I wanted.

 

Finding the right stamps though was a bit more challenging! I found the perfect stamp for the sentiment on the Wedding set of Hampton Art stamps the font was just right; classic and timeless…

 

 

 

There was a cake stamp on the same set, and it was on a wrought iron stand, but it seemed too modern, it wasn’t quite right. I looked through a few more sets of wedding stamps, but couldn’t find anything else that was closer to what I was envisioning. I thought I’d just have to settle for “close-enough”, when I noticed a script block stamp I had sitting out from a previous project. Would it work to transform the “modern” wedding cake into something more “vintage”? It was worth a try; so I stamped a piece of ivory cardstock with the script block first, and then stamped the cake stamp over it, and VOILA, it was PERFECT! The script block background added just the touch of vintage romance that I was looking for.

 

Layering stamps is an easy way to change either the style or design of the images, and is a great way to get more use from your stamps. You can also use different inks when you layer to add dimension. I used Creamy Brown chalk ink to stamp the script, then used the darker Chestnut Roan chalk ink to stamp the cake. This added some depth to the stamped images, making the cake come to the foreground.

 

The roses needed to be pink in order to pull the design together, so I used a beauty swab to fill them in with creamy ColorBox Pigment ink in what other color than Shabby Pink! To add a bit of luster, I used Illuminate over the pigment ink when it had dried.

 

Here's a closeup of the finished cake...

 

 

 

The only thing missing was the ribbon and doily, so I added a wide brown ribbon with dashed white lines at each side, and a doily-like border strip in white beneath it…

 

 

 

This card could be used as an invitation simply by changing the sentiment to “you are invited” and adding the nuptial details inside, or switch the sentiment to “congratulations” and use it as a wedding card. Don’t need a wedding card? How about a sophisticated yet “girlie” birthday card or invitation? This would make a very sweet, sweet 16 card or invitation as well.

 

Here are all the supplies and info you need to make this delicious card yourself…

 

“la parisian” thank you card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

Clearsnap:  ColorBox: Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan, Dark Brown and Creamy Brown, ColorBox: Pigment Ink: Shabby Pink and Smooch Accent Ink: Illuminate

 

Hampton Art: Wedding clear stamps

 

Memory Box:Script Block wood stamp and Pearl Stickers: white

 

Bazzill: Frosted Pink, Coconut Swirl, Suede Brown Dark and Buttercream cardstocks, Dashed Ribbon: brown and Half the Edge: cardstock strips - white

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, double sided tape and dimensional foam dots

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Cut a 5 ½ X 8 ½ piece of ivory cardstock and fold in half to make card.

 

2) Cut a 5 ½ X 1 ¼ X strip of pink cardstock and adhere about 1 ¼ down from the top of the card.

 

3) Cut a 5 ½ piece of brown ribbon and apply 2 strips of double sided tape to the back, one along the top and one along the bottom edge. Cut a 5 ½ piece of the white border strip and adhere it to the bottom edge of the ribbon by placing it along the lower part of the bottom strip of double sided tape. Adhere ribbon to card along bottom edge of pink cardstock strip.

 

4) Ink script block stamp with Creamy Brown chalk ink and stamp on a piece of ivory cardstock. Ink cake stamp with Chestnut Roan chalk ink and stamp at center of script. Cut out to measure 2 1/8 X 3, and ink edges using Dark Brown chalk ink.

 

5) Use a beauty swab to fill in roses with Shabby Pink pigment ink. When dry, go over roses with Illuminate Smooch.

 

6) Cut a 2 ¼ X 3 ¼ piece of pink cardstock and mat on a 2 3/8 X 3 3/8 piece of brown cardstock. Use dimensional foam dots to adhere stamped cake piece to mat, then adhere matted image about ½ from left edge of card.

 

7) Stamp sentiment on white cardstock using Chestnut Roan chalk ink; cut out to measure 2 X 1 1/8 and ink edges using Dark Brown chalk ink. Adhere sentiment on pink strip to the right of cake.

 

8) Add 2 pearls on either side of the sentiment.

 

Come back soon! And be sure to check out Jean’s ColorSyle blog for more great projects featuring Clearsnap products!

---tami

it's in the bag...

If you will be attending a wedding anytime soon, you might need a gift bag all decked out for the occasion. Today’s project transforms a plain-jane white kraft bag into a blinged-up beauty.

 

Take a look…

 

 

The bag was stamped using a gorgeous damask patterned stamp that seemed perfectly "suited" for a wedding. To make the bag really sparkle {think diamonds}, I used ColorBox MetaleXtra Pigment Ink in Silver and embossed it using Top Boss Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder…

 

 

The attached gift tag is silver to tie in the stamped images. The stamped bride has been given a full makeover using Smooch Accent Inks…

 

 

A flower with a fabulous rhinestone button at its center adds more than a touch of elegance…

 

 

Don’t fret if you don’t have a wedding to attend in the near future; just change the stamp designs, ink and embellishment colors to create a personalized bag for any “gifting” occasion.

 

Here’s all the info you need to tell you how…

 

“wedding bling” altered gift bag

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: ColorBox MetaleXtra Pigment Ink: Silver, Smooch Accent Ink: Moonlight, Siren, Snickerdoodle and Illuminate, Ancient Page Archival Ink: Coal Black {full or mini size} and Top Boss: Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder

 

Hero Arts: Warmest Wedding Wishes ClearDesign stamps

 

Memory Box: Antique Damask wood stamp

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl and Blackberry Swirl cardstocks, Grosgrain Ribbon Flower – Cardinal, Jewels: Kisses and Vintage Buttons: Vintage Elizabeth

 

Other: sheer silver ribbon, white kraft bag and silver cardstock

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, 1/16” hole punch, wire cutters and heat gun

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Designer Notes:

--- it can be a little difficult to stamp clearly on gift bags, especially near the top where the handles are glued to the inside of the bag. I found that I got clearer images when I placed a foam sheet {fun foam} under the bag before stamping. It cushioned the bag so it had a little “give”. I also avoided stamping directly over the handles at the inside top.

--- I used 3-in-one glue by Beacon to adhere the button to the center of the flower. It is a “fast tack” adhesive so it grabs and holds well. Just let the flower sit for 5 minutes or so either before or after adhering it to the bag – which you can do with the 3-in-1 glue also.

 

Bag

1) Stamp damask pattern using MetalExtra Silver Ink over front of gift bag; stamping some images off edges of bag.

 

2) Sprinkle stamped images using Opalescent Clear Embossing Powder and emboss using heat gun.

 

3) Add jewels at centers of damask design.

 

4) Use wire cutters to remove shank from button, then adhere button to center of flower. When glue has set and button is secure, adhere flower to right handle just above the top edge of the gift bag.

 

Tag

1) Stamp bride image on white cardstock using Coal Black Ancient Page Ink.

 

2) Fill in stamped image using Smooch Accent Ink: hair – Snickerdoodle, dress – Moonlight, veil – Illuminate, flowers – Siren; cut out.

 

3) Stamp sentiment on white cardstock using Coal Black ink and then cut out { 2 ¼ X 1 ½}

 

4) Cut tag from black cardstock; cut a 2 ¾ X 5 ¼ rectangle and clip off corners.

 

5) Trace tag on back of silver cardstock and cut about 1/8” INSIDE line. Adhere silver tag to black tag and punch hole at top.

 

6) Adhere bride and sentiment to tag, then tie tag with silver ribbon and hang just below flower.

 

 

Consider this your “invitation” to come back and see what other items we can “gather together” and “marry” up with stamps and ink!

 

---tami

 

here comes the bride!

...and the groom too!

It's time for some wedding projects! I love weddings; I always wanted to be a wedding planner, but after helping a few friends plan theirs and planning my own, that changed, but my love of weddings didn't. I love the whites and ivories with a pop of color - either bold or soft and the crisp black of the tuxedos, I love the textures of the satins, silks and lace, and of course the BLING! There has to be some bling, think diamonds and pearls.

So, I made a “Congratulations” card for the first wedding themed project and tried to incorporate some of the things I like best about weddings in it…

The card base is a soft ivory as is the cardstock for the background and the dress, then I added a POP of color and a touch of lace with the stamped background designs...

 

The black mat adds that touch of crispness, and finally pearl accents provide the bling...

 

Here are the supplies and directions you need to create your own special wedding card…

“all dressed up” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES: 

Clearsnap: Vivid! Dye Ink: Black and ColorBox Pigment Ink: Cyan {full or mini size}

Hero Arts: Hero Hues: Folded Cards – eggshelland Heart Accent Pearls - white

Hampton Art: Mini Flip Flops: Elegant Flourish and Wedding Clear Stamps

 

Memory Box: Pearl Stickers - white

Bazzill: Blackberry Swirl and Vanilla cardstocks

Tools: adhesive, dimensional foam dots, scissors and paper trimmer

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut 3 ¼ X 2 piece of ivory cardstock. Ink oval medallion stamp with Cyan Pigment Ink and stamp image at center of cardstock.

2) Cut a 3 ½ X 3 3/8 piece of black cardstock and adhere stamped ivory piece at the top leaving a scant border around the top and sides.

3) Cut a 3 ½ X 7/8 piece of ivory cardstock and adhere it about 1/8 below the top piece.

4) Ink border stamp with Cyan Pigment Ink and stamp image on a piece of ivory cardstock.

5) Ink “congratulations” stamp with Black Vivid! Ink and stamp sentiment at center of stamped border. Cut out image and adhere to center of ivory piece.

6) Ink gown and tux stamp with Black Vivid! Ink and stamp on ivory cardstock; cut out and adhere to stamped oval using dimensional dots.

7) Adhere black cardstock to front of card about 5/8 from top.

8) Add heart shaped pearls at either side of sentiment.

9) Finish card by adding 2 rows of tiny pearls spaced ¼ apart about ¼ below black cardstock.

Please drop back by for more wedding projects! And if you'd like to see MORE fabulous projects using Clearsnap products, please check out COLOR STYLE by Jean Okimoto.

---tami

chocolate or vanilla...

This project will be the last for the "masculine" theme I've had going on the blog for the last few weeks. So i thought I'd make it DOUBLE-ly delightful! You get TWO cards, well to be fair it's the same card, you just get a FLAVOR choice. So would you like CHOCOLATE or VANILLA? Which does your guy prefer?

I thought it would be fun to create two yummy versions of this card and both use pretty much the exact same supplies. The main difference is that the CHOCOLATE cakes and sentiment were stamped on white cardstock while the VANILLA cakes and sentiment were stamped on kraft cardstock.

Here are some closeups of the details...

first the CHOCOLATE card...

 

 

 

and now, for VANILLA...

 

 

 

If you'd like to "whip up" one or both of these card confections, here's what you'll need to know...

"flavor"-ite cake card

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

Clearsnap:  ColorBox Pigment Ink: Cape Cod, Lettuce, Plumberry, Robin's Egg and Canary {full or mini size}, Top Boss: Clear, White and Cocoa Bean Embossing Powders and Tinted Embossing Pad, Smooch Accent Ink: Sundance, Moonlight and Molasses 

Hero Arts: Hero Hues: Daffodil folded note card

 

Hampton Art: Happy Birthday clear stamps

Bazzill: Kraft, Coconut Swirl, Pear Crush, Wildberry Pie, Sparkleberry Delight , Chocolate Cream and Lemon Bliss cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 5 X 3 1/4 piece of yellow cardstock and tear about 1/4 off along one long side. Ink edges of cardstock using Canary Pigment Ink and set aside to dry.

2) Cut 1 - 1 X 2 piece of blue, lavendar and green cardstocks. Ink edges of blue using Robin's Egg Pigment Ink, the lavendar with Plumberry and the green with Lettuce and set aside to dry.

for Chocolate Card: 

1) stamp cake image on white cardstock using Cape Cod Pigment Ink and emboss with Clear Embossing Powder. Repeat using Plumberry Ink and once more using Lettuce. Cut out cakes, leaving a scant border around the design.

2) Fill in the candle flames using Sundance Smooch Accent Ink. Then fill in the icing on the cake using Molasses Smooch.

3) Adhere each cake to it's matching cardstock piece.

4) Stamp "make a wish" on white cardstock using Tinted Embossing Pad and emboss using Cocoa Bean Embossing Powder then cut out.

5) Cut a 5 1/2 X 1/4 strip of brown cardstock.

for Vanilla Card: 

1) stamp cake image on kraft cardstock using Cape Cod Pigment Ink and emboss with Clear Embossing Powder. Repeat using Plumberry Ink and once more using Lettuce. Cut out cakes, leaving a scant border around the design.

2) Fill in the candle flames using Sundance Smooch Accent Ink. Then fill in the icing on the cake using Moonlight Smooch.

3) Adhere each cake to it's matching cardstock piece.

4) Stamp "make a wish" on kraft cardstock using Tinted Embossing Pad and emboss using White Embossing Powder then cut out.

5) Cut a 5 1/2 X 1/4 strip of white cardstock.

to assemble either card:

1) Adhere yellow cardstock piece towards top of front of card.

2) Adhere cakes to front of card, staggering heights as shown.

3) Adhere 1/4 strip under yellow mat, then center and adhere "make a wish" on the strip.

the next theme coming up will be wedding, so please stay tuned if there are wedding bells {yours or someone else's} in your future!

---tami 
 
 
 
 
 

a little inspiration...

You just never know when and where inspiration is going to strike. I was looking around for a color scheme for another “manly” card and spied some tile samples I had picked up – we are in the middle of some remodeling. I liked the tile, but the colors just weren’t right for my bath project, BUT – they looked perfect for my card project. Grey, charcoal, alabaster, malted brown, and blue-grey all combined to make an eye-pleasing composition. So I gathered up some papers and inks in those colors and got started.

 

I scanned the card using the tile for the background so you could see the color inspiration. Here’s the finished card…

 

 

and here's a closeup of the stamped and embossed background design...

 

The tile had lots of texture and depth as well, so I tried to achieve that through embossing and touches of metallic ink...

 

Here’s what you need to know if you’d like to make this card yourself…

“time flies” card

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap:  ColorBox: MetaleXtra Pigment Ink: Platinum, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Blackbird {full or mini size} and Chestnut Roan {cats eye}, ColorBox Catseye Queue: Luxe Metallics: Silk Green and Sapphire Silk, Top Boss: Clear Embossing Powder, Smooch Accent Ink: Silver Fox and Gold Lame and Stylus and Blender Tip

 

Hero Arts: Circle Pattern cling stamp

Hampton Art: Clock and Word Collage Borders clear stamps

My Sentiments Exactly: Parfait Multi clear stamps

Bazzill: Kraft, Blackberry Swirl, Oslo and Butter Cream cardstocks

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 11 X 4 ¼ piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half to make card.

 

2) Ink Circle Background stamp using Silk Green and Sapphire Silk inks applied using the Stylus and Blender Tip. Place the colors randomly on the stamp having them overlap and blend in places. Stamp front of card and emboss using clear embossing powder.

 

3) Ink “time flies” border with Platinum MetaleXtra Ink and stamp on dark blue cardstock. Emboss with clear embossing powder; trim to 5 ¾ X 1 ¼.

 

4) Stamp clock on cream cardstock using Blackbird Chalk Ink; adhere hands to block at approx 11:20, ink with Blackbird Chalk Ink and stamp at center of clock; cut out.

 

5) Ink wings with Platinum MetaleXtra Ink and stamp on cream cardstock, emboss with clear embossing powder and cut out when cooled.

 

6) Use Parfait Multi alpha letters to spell out “miss you”, ink using Blackbird Chalk Ink and stamp on cream cardstock. Handcut, leaving about a ¼ border; ink edges using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.

 

7) Fill in inner feathers on wings using Silver Fox Smooch and hands on clock using Gold Lame Smooch.

 

8) To assemble, adhere “time flies” border at a slant across lower part of card. Then adhere “miss you” sentiment at lower right corner; fit wings around clock and adhere at upper left of card.

 

Keep your eyes open for the “inspiration” for your next project, it may be something unexpected!

 

---tami

 

travel journal...

If you are still in need of a Father’s Day gift idea – you are in luck! Today’s project, a travel journal, is the type of “personal” gift that really says you care. Don’t worry if your special “dad” doesn’t have the travel bug, take the idea and customize it to fit their favorite hobby. This altered composition book would be equally nice as just a journal to keep track of their notes or to do lists...

 

 

To embellish the plain generic composition book I started with, I made 2 different “printed” papers both with cardstock as the base. Both papers utilized Clearsnap’s Rollagraph jumbo wheels and handles along with their stamping guide to make the job easier. The Rollagraph system is a great way to stamp large areas with a repeating pattern, and if you use the handle with the self-inking cartridge, you can roll to your heart’s content without worrying about having to stop and reink the wheel.

 

To make the papers, I first took a pale cream cardstock and rolled across it with a script design wheel in a chocolate brown ink. Then I overstamped the paper with a round stamp design in burnt orange...

 

 

 

For the other paper, I started with a tan cardstock and rolled it twice with a marbled pattern. The first time I used a plum colored ink, and the second time I used a golden brown ink. This gave the paper a wonderful 2-toned marbled look that was easy to achieve...

 

 

I used a variety of different types of inks on this project because I wanted it to have multiple layers and textures. Each type of ink brought something special – the ColorBox Fluid Chalk Inks are soft and “smudgey” and are great for “aging” and “distressing” edges or overstamping when you want a soft opaque look, the ColorBox MetaleXtra Pigment Inks give your project a metallic sheen that adds a touch of richness, the Ancient Page Inks are sheer color, so they help add depth and texture when you layer them, and the Vivid! inks add dark bold color. If you haven’t tried all these different types, now is your chance. Since they are all used on this one project, you can really compare and see the unique “look” each ink has.

 

Here are some closeups of a few more of the details...

 

 

 

 

Here are the supplies and directions you need to make your own special gift for dad…

 

“”World Traveler” altered composition book

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Rollagraph: Jumbo Stamping Wheels: Marble Background and Say What?, Jumbo Self-Inking Handle and Jumbo Ancient Page Ink Cartridges: Light Brown, Plum Wine and Chocolate, Vivid! Dye Ink: Coffee Bean {full or mini size}, Ancient Page Permanent Dye Inkpad: Palm Leaf {full or mini size}, ColorBox MetaleXtra Pigment Ink: Platinum, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan and Pumpkin Spice {full or mini size} and ColorBox Stamping Guide

 

Hero Arts: Travel Journal ClearDesign stamps

 

Hampton Art: Foot Longs – Big and Little Alphas clear stamps

 

My Sentiments Exactly: Romantic Caps

 

Bazzill: Kraft, Butter Cream, Moody Blue and Tawny Light cardstocks and Brown Dashed Ribbon

 

Other: 7 ½ X 9 ½ composition book, mini binder clip and jute

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer, 1/16” hole punch, black fine tipped pen and heat gun {optional}

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Designer Notes:

*The MetaleXtra ink is a pigment ink so it can take awhile to dry. You can speed up the drying time with a heat gun if you like or just set aside the stamped “journal” piece to dry while you work on other elements. Just make sure the ink is completely dry before you adhere it to your book to avoid smearing the ink.

*Check the size of your composition book and make adjustments as needed to the cut sizes given.

 

1) Cut a 2 X 7 piece of dark blue cardstock and stamp “JOURNAL” at the center using Romantic Cap stamps inked with Platinum MetaleXtra Pigment Ink and set aside to dry.

 

2) Cut a 4 X7 piece of cream cardstock. Load jumbo handle with Chocolate Ancient Page Ink Cartridge and Say What? Jumbo Stamping Wheel and use Stamping Guide to roll on 2 horizontal rows of script design across the entire piece.

 

3) Ink 12pt round “world traveler” stamp with Pumpkin Spice Fluid Chalk Ink and randomly stamp across the paper, making sure to let a few stamp off the edges.

 

4) Use Big & Little Alphas to spell out “travel” and ink using Palm Leaf Ancient Page Ink, stamp about 1” from left side and about ½” up from bottom in lower right corner of script paper.

 

5) Ink edges of stamped script paper using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink and then adhere to the top of the composition book, clipping and reinking the corner if needed.

 

6) Cut a 4 X7 piece of tan cardstock. Load jumbo handle with Plum Wine Ancient Page Ink Cartridge and Marble Background Jumbo Stamping Wheel and use Stamping Guide to roll on 2 horizontal rows of design across the entire piece. Then clean wheel and change ink cartridge to Light Brown and roll again.

 

7) Ink edges of stamped marble paper using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink and then adhere to the bottom of the composition book, clipping and reinking the corner if needed.

 

8) After making sure ink is dry, adhere dark blue “JOURNAL” strip at the center of the book.

 

9) Ink “on the road” narrow border stamp with Vivid! Coffee Bean ink and stamp 3 times in a horizontal row on a piece of kraft cardstock. Cut out ¼” strip and ink using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink, and adhere along bottom of dark blue “JOURNAL” strip.

 

10) Ink tag stamp with Vivid! Coffee Bean ink and stamp on a piece of kraft cardstock. Cut out and ink edges using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink.  

 

11) Ink “enjoy the journey” stamp with Pumpkin Spice Chalk ink and stamp diagonally across lined portion of tag. Use black pen to outline “journey”. Punch hole at top of tag and tie with jute. Tie tag to binder clip and attach to top of composition book.

 

12) Adhere brown ribbon to cover black spine of composition book.

 

I have 2 more “guy” projects in the works, a set of 2 birthday cards and a missing you card, so please check back to see them!

 

---tami

 

"owl" about another "guy" card?

I love that owls have made a comeback! And the new owl designs are SO much cuter than the ones from the 70’s {yes, I’m old enough to remember them – just barely}. Hampton Art has a new owl stamp set that is a real hoot! I used 2 stamps from the set to make this card…

 

 

This thank you card is “manly” enough to send to any guy on your gratitude list, but is cute enough for anyone. I selected papers and Smooch Accent inks in my favorite “guy” colors of brown, aqua and lime green. Simply changing the color scheme to pink, orange and lime green would change the feel of the card to decisively “girly”!

 

The stamps in this set are designed to be mixed and matched, so I stamped the branch first, then stamped the owl so that he has his feet firmly planted on the branch.

 

 

To create the look of wood for the branch, I first colored in the branch with Molasses Smooch Accent Ink and let it dry. Then I painted over it using Smooch in Moonlight, then BEFORE it dried, I used a toothpick to gently draw in a wood grain design. Since the Molasses Smooch underneath was already dry, it was revealed when I drew the lines in the still wet Moonlight Smooch.

 

 

You can use this technique to add layers of colors or to add texture when using your Smooch Accent Inks. Smooch inks blend when they are wet, but once they are dry, they stay put. So keep that in mind when you are experimenting with this technique.

 

Here are the supplies and directions you need to make your own little hoot owl card…

 

 

“”Cutie Hootie” thank you card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Moonlight, Silver Fox, Carrot, Pool, Kiwi and Molasses and ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan {full or mini size}

 

Hampton Art: Owls 1 cling stamp

 

Bazzill: Kraft, Frosted Teal and Walnut Cream cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive and paper trimmer

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Cut an 8 ½ X 5 ½  piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half for card.

 

2) Cut a 3 ^_1/8 X 3 ½ piece of aqua cardstock and adhere to center of card.

 

3) Cut a 2 _^5/8 X 3 piece of cream cardstock and stamp sentiment using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink at bottom center.

 

4) Ink branch stamp with Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink and stamp just above sentiment.

 

5) Ink owl stamp with with Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink and stamp so that the owls feet are on the branch.

 

6) Color center of eyes and wings in with Kiwi Smooch, body with Pool Smooch, chest and outer eye with Silver Fox Smooch, beak, feet and legs with Carrot Smooch and branch with Molasses Smooch.

 

7) When branch has dried, color in again with Moonlight Smooch, and while it is still dry, use a toothpick to add woodgrain.

 

I still have a few more projects for the boys before we move on to another subject, so please check back for more ideas!

 

---tami

 

all in the family...

I am the lone gal in my family; I’m out numbered 3 to 1, so I am always on the lookout for projects or ideas for guys. But today, I have a few ideas to share with you.

 

Color plays a big part of creating a “masculine” look; I immediately think of blue, brown and black with maybe a touch of lime green thrown in for some punch. Texture is important too; layers of different patterns can work together to add interest to your project.

 

This layout has examples of both of these ideas…

 

 

The photo was taken on my youngest son’s birthday, and coincidentally, all my guys wore lime green that day. So of course mom had to take advantage of that photo op.

 

I wanted the lime green of their shirts to be the “pop” in my layout, so the only other repeat of that color is a few touches of Smooch Accent Ink in Green Apple to tie the color in…

 

 

For texture, I started with the background paper, I used Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink to stamp a repeated pattern across the entire page…

 

 

 

Then I added some color, a medium blue that I thought accented the colors in the photos. I decided to use Watermark Ink to create a tone on tone look for the stamped design. And then to add another layer to that, I filled in the diamonds in the pattern using Smooch Accent Ink in Olive Twist…

 

 

 

I also stamped a frame around my photo, and added several stamped and cut out sentiments to the bottom of the layout…

 

 

As a final touch, I added my title using brads in antique silver…

 

 

 

Each layer adds depth and interest and keeps the layout from looking “flat” whether you frame it or put it in a scrapbook.

 

“”My Family” 8 X 8 layout

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Designer Note: In the supply list, I have both the full or mini AND cats eye sizes listed. The full and mini sizes have pads that are “juicier” and are great for stamping. But the pad on the cats eye is perfect for inking the edges of your papers.

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Olive Twist and Green Apple, Watermark Ink {full or mini size} and ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan and Blackbird {full or mini size and cats eye}

 

Hero Arts: Circle Pattern cling stamp

 

Hampton Art: Artsy Edges and Word Collage Borders clear stamps

 

Memory Box: Lattice Background wood mount stamp

 

My Sentiments Exactly: Family clear stamps

 

Bazzill: Kraft and Nautical Blue cardstocks

 

Other: antique silver brads and fine tip black pen

 

Tools: adhesive, paper trimmer, scissors, paper piercer and dimensional foam dots

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Cut an 8 X 8 piece of kraft cardstock for background.

 

2) Ink Circle Pattern stamp using Chestnut Roan chalk ink and stamp design across entire background. Ink edges of page using Chestnut Roan, then Blackbird chalk inks.

 

3) Ink Lattice Background stamp using Watermark ink and stamp 2 designs on blue cardstock. When dry, cut out both and trim 1 piece to measure 1” wide, and the other to measure 1 ½” wide.

 

4) Fill in diamonds in lattice pattern using Olive Twist Smooch. When dry, ink edges of pieces using Watermark ink.

 

5) Stamp “My family” using Blackbird chalk ink on kraft cardstock. Cut out, rounding top edges. Ink edges first with Chestnut Roan, and then with Blackbird.

 

6) Lay photo on a piece of kraft cardstock and lightly trace around edges. Ink border stamp with Blackbird chalk ink and stamp along penciled line to form frame. Handcut frame, and ink edges using Blackbird chalk ink. Erase pencil lines and adhere photo to center of frame.

 

7) Stamp “family memories” border on a piece of kraft cardstock; cut out and ink edges using Chestnut Roan chalk ink. Fill in tiny circles along the bottom using Green Apple Smooch.

 

8) Stamp word border on kraft cardstock using Blackbird chalk ink. Cut out border, creating flag at right end. Ink edges first with Chestnut Roan, and then with Blackbird chalk ink. Outline “Family” with Green Apple Smooch, when dry, outline with black pen.

 

9) To assemble, adhere “my family” title tab to upper left of framed photo. Use paper piercer to make holes and insert brads. Lay photo on page and line up blue stamped pieces on either side with the narrower piece on the left. Remove photo and adhere blue pieces, then adhere photo. Use dimensional foam dots to adhere “family memories” border to lower right of photo, then adhere word border beneath aligning left edge with left side of background.

 

Hopefully, you’ll find these ideas helpful in creating projects for your guys…

 

---tami

 

tool time!

Here’s a “tool”-riffic card for a dad who’s handy…

 

 

Smooch Accent Inks make it easy to transform a simple card into something special. All the stamped images were embossed in black, then Smooch Accent Inks were used to add borders to the sentiments and color in the tools. Each bottle has a precision tip built into the cap, so it’s easy to get the ink where you want it, even in TEENY-TINY spots.

 

Here’s a closer look at the tools…

 

I used a two colors on Smooch on the wrenches to add a little shading.

 

Here’s what you need to know to make this card for your “handy”-man…

 

“”tool-rific” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Pool, Siren, Sundance, Silver Fox and Olive Twist and Top Boss: Tinted Embossing Pad {full or mini size} and Black Embossing Powder

 

Hero Arts: Happy Dad’s Day PolyClear stamps and Hero Hues Folded Cards - snow

 

Bazzill: Blackberry Swirl, Coconut Swirl and Gray cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive, paper trimmer, heat gun and dimensional foam dots

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Cut a 4 ¾ X 3 ½ piece of gray cardstock and adhere to center of card front.

 

2) Stamp sentiments on a piece of white cardstock using tinted embossing pad. Emboss with black embossing powder and let cool. Cut out sentiments and outline “Happy Father’s Day” using Siren Accent Ink and verse with Pool.

 

3) Stamp tool design twice on white cardstock using tinted embossing pad and emboss with black embossing powder; let cool.

 

4) Use Smooch Accent Inks to color in tools; then cut out and mat on a piece of black cardstock.

 

5) Adhere “Happy Father’s Day” towards top of gray mat, then adhere tool design using foam dimensional dots, then adhere verse below.

 

Please stop back by for more projects designed with guys in mind…

 

---tami

 

man up!

I have 2 Father’s Days cards to share with you this week, and then I’ll be adding a few “manly” projects after that. It’s all about the GUYS for the next few posts. Cards and projects that are suitable for gifting to the men in your life: dads, husbands, sons, uncles, nephews, boyfriends, pals or bosses - a little something for everyone.

 

But first, a card Dad…

 

 

My dad loves blue, so I started with the ColorBox Multi-Color At the Beach Inkpad. This pad has a set of colors that are not only perfect for sand and sea, but for MEN too! I The At the Beach inkpad has 2 browns, 2 blues and a peach ink {Parchment, Dune, Baby Blue, Colonial Blue and Chestnut} all in one compact container.

 

I decided to use only the blues and the browns, and I selected colors of cardstock that matched the shades of ink.  I like to find different ways to use the 5 color pads; you can change the look of your stamped image just by changing how you place your stamp on the pad. For something a little different, I decided to place my stamp diagonally across the pad, using only four colors and avoiding the peach ink at the end {sorry Parchment – maybe next time}.

 

Here’s a closeup of the stamped background I created for the card…

 

And here are the supplies and directions you need to make this card for YOUR number one dad…

 

“you’re my no. 1” card

 

Skill Level: easy - moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: ColorBox Multi-Color: At the Beach

 

Hampton Art: Best Father clear value set and Word Collage Borders

 

Memory Box: Lattice Background wood mount stamp

 

Bazzill: Moody Blue, Blueberry Pie, Chocolate Cream, Butter Cream, Tawny Medium and Kraft

 

Tools: adhesive, paper trimmer, scissors and dimensional foam dots

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Cut a 5 X 10 piece of Kraft and fold in half to make card.

 

2) Cut a 4 ¼ square of dark blue cardstock and mat on a 4 ? square of light brown cardstock with inked edges {use Dune – light brown ink on 5 color pad} and then double mat on a 4 ¾ square of dark brown cardstock. Adhere to center of card.

 

3) Stamp 2 images using Lattice Background stamp on cream cardstock; ink stamp diagonally across blues and browns on 5 color pad. Let dry, then cut out and ink edges with Dune ink and let dry again. Adhere scant ¼ away from left edge of dark blue.

 

4) Ink word strip stamp using dark brown ink {Chestnut} on a piece of cream cardstock. Let dry, cut out, then ink edges using Dune ink. Let dry again and then mat on a strip of dark brown cardstock. Adhere strip about ½ away from left side of lattice blocks.

 

5) Stamp wreath on light blue cardstock using Chestnut ink. Let dry, then stamp No. 1 at the center, let dry and then cut out. Ink edges using Dune ink and let dry again.

 

6) Stamp Dad on light blue cardstock using Chestnut ink. Let dry, then cut out. Ink edges using Dune ink and let dry again.

 

7) Adhere No. 1 and Dad pieces to a piece of cream cardstock and handcut about 1/16 around edges to mat. Use dimensional foam dots to adhere piece to right side of card .

 

Come back on Friday for another card for dad…

 

---tami

 

"smooched" graduation box...

As promised, here is another project for the graduate; an altered paper mache’ box that’s the perfect size to hold a gift card now, and a tassel later.

 

I used Smooch Spritz to give the box the look of old metal that has aged over time. Smooch Spritz is a shimmery ink that you can spray; it goes on opaque and covers well in just one coat. And although it looks like it took hours to achieve the finish, it was accomplished in about 15 minutes using just 2 colors of Smooch Spritz. And since Smooch Spritz covers so well, there is no need to paint or prime the box first.

 

 

Here’s a closer look at the lid…

 

 

And here are some more close-ups of the details on the box…

 

 

 

 

If you don’t need a graduation gift, you can still make the basic box and just change the lid embellishments to whatever theme you like. Father’s Day is less than a month away and this box would be terrific for any dad as well. Maybe add a few vintage keys tied with twine to the top, and stamp with an appropriate Father’s Day sentiment. {More Father’s Day projects coming up next week!}

 

Here are the supplies and directions you need to make your own altered box…

 

“vintage metal” altered paper mache’ box

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Silver Foil and Vanilla Shimmer, Smooch Accent Ink: Illuminate and Moonlight, Crafter’s Ink: High Top Pad – Black, Stylus with Blender Tip and Color Catcher

 

Indus Trading Company: DIY Bangles:Time Together Collection: wood cut out - Graduation

 

Hampton Art: Graduation Time clear value set

 

Hero Arts: Curly Alphabet cleardesign stamps

 

Memory Box: Antique Damask wood mount stamp

 

Darice: paper mache box

 

Tools: adhesive, white paper towels and heat gun {optional}

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

Designer Notes:

•  use Smooch Spritz as you would spray paint, spritzing while moving your hand across the piece to create an even coat. 

• depending on the type of paper mache’ box you use, it may or may not absorb the Smooch Spritz quickly. If ink pools, you can gently blot with paper towels.  

• you can use a heat gun to speed up drying time, just be sure to keep heat gun moving and don’t overheat to avoid warping your box.

 

1) Remove lid and place it along with the box bottom in the Color Catcher. Begin spritzing the top and sides of the lid and the sides of the bottom using Silver Foil Smooch Spritz. Allow pieces to set a few minutes before turning them to another side. Continue until all sides are done. Let dry a few minutes.

 

2) Spritz pieces again as before, this time using Vanilla Shimmer Smooch, and blotting gently with a clean paper towel a minute or so after ink is applied. {The blotting will help develop the aged appearance of the box}

 

3) Ink wood cut out cap using Black Crafter’s Ink applied with Stylus and Blended Tip; let dry.

 

4) Apply Smooch Illuminate to top of cap; let dry.

 

5) Outline cap using Moonlight Smooch, then smudge lightly with your finger to blend.

 

6) Let all pieces dry completely before proceeding.

 

7) Ink tip {about 1”} of Antique Damask stamp with Black Crafter’s Ink and stamp design around sides of lid; set aside to dry.

 

8) Use Black Crafter’s Ink applied using Stylus and Blender Tip to “antique” edges and corners of box lid and bottom.

 

9) Stamp “2010” using Curly Alphabet and Black Crafter’s Ink at lower right of box.

 

10) Stamp “class of” using stamp from Graduation Time set, above and to the left of “2010” using Black Crafter’s Ink; let dry.

 

11) Fill in “class of” letters using Moonlight Smooch.

 

12) Adhere cap to box at upper left.

 

Fill box with paper shred in silver, white or black and add gift card…

 

---tami

 

school's out!

SCHOOL’S OUT! {or will be soon!} and we are entering graduation season so my posts this week will both feature projects for the graduate.

 

First up is a card for that special student that has worked hard and finally reached the end of the road…

 

 

I used the “traditional” colors associated with graduation, black and white, but you could personalize this card by using the school colors of the graduate instead.

 

I inked a wood cut out graduation cap with Crafter’s Ink, then stamped and embossed “hat’s off to you” with Top Boss Embossing Powder in white. I used black and white embossing powders to do all the sentiments as well.

 

Here’s a close-up of some of the details…

 

 

A diecut strip and a bit of ribbon added a little pizzazz, and helped highlight the “Graduation Time” message.

 

Here are the supplies and directions you need to make this card for your scholar…

 

“Hat’s Off” card

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Crafter’s Ink: High Top Pad - Black, Top Boss: Embossing Pad {tinted or regular}, Embossing Powder: White and Black and Stylus with Blender Tip

 

Indus Trading Company: Diy Bangles: Time Together Collection: wood cut out - Graduation

 

Hampton Art: Footlong Big & Little Apha’s clear stamps and Graduation Time clear value set

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl, Blackberry Swirl and Glass Slipper cardstocks, Half the Edge Cardstock Strips – black and Black and White Stripe ribbon

 

Tools: heat gun, paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and foam dimensional dots

 

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Cut a 4 ¼” X 11” piece of white cardstock and fold in half to make card.

 

2) Use Stylus with Blender Tip to apply Crafter’s Ink to wood cap; set aside to dry.

 

3) Stamp “School’s … OVER!” on a piece of black cardstock using embossing pad, emboss with white embossing powder; cut out when cool.

 

4)  Stamp “Finally Done!” on a piece of black cardstock using embossing pad, emboss with white embossing powder; cut out when cool.

 

5) Stamp “Graduation Time” on a piece of white cardstock using embossing pad, emboss with black embossing powder; cut out when cool.

 

6) Stamp “congrats”, with letters from the Big and Little Alpha’s set, on a piece of white cardstock using embossing pad, emboss with black embossing powder; cut out when cool.

 

7) Stamp “hat’s off to you” on center of inked cap using embossing pad. Then emboss with white embossing powder.

 

8) Cut a 2 ½” X 4” piece of silver cardstock and mat on a 2 ¾” X 4 ¼” piece of black cardstock.

 

9) To assemble card:

• adhere black cardstock strip about ¼” from left side of card, trimming excess.
• adhere silver on black cardstock piece about ¼” from top of card and cardstock strip.
• adhere a piece of ribbon horizontally about 3 ½” from top of card.
• adhere hat at an angle at top of card.
• adhere sentiments, using foam dimensional dots to adhere “Graduation Time” on ribbon.   

---tami

 

bling me up...

I received some wood bangles from DIY Bangles that I have been anxious to bling up. Creating your own unique jewelry pieces can accent a new outfit, or help update one from last season. It only took an hour or so to transform these 3 bangles…

 

 

Crafter’s Ink works well on wood; it covers well and dries quickly. You can also use pigment inks, but they will take longer to dry and you have to be careful not to smear them until they do. I used both on the bangles I made.

 

Here’s a closer look at each of the bracelets…

 

 

I inked a damask background stamp with several colors of inks, then rolled the bangle across the stamp …

 

 

for this one, I first stamped on the script design, then went back and stamped tiny flowers in different colors along it...

 

 

 

Rhinestones added the finishing touch…

 

 

This bangle has large flat panels on each side that are perfect for stamping on, I inked the panels a different color than the rest of the bracelet and stamped flowers on the panels…

 

 

 

I used a beauty swab to color in the flowers centers, and used the stylus and blender tip to “antique” the edges of the panels…

 

 

The BIG jewelry trend right now is just that – BIG! Stacks of bangles in different sizes and colors are showing up everywhere, so make your bangles in colors that coordinate and you can mix and match and STACK!

 

 

Here’s what you need in order to make your own fashion statement…

 

“Damasked” bangle bracelet

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Crafter’s Ink: Sunflower, Pink and Lime, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Turquoise and Stylus with Blender Tip

 

Indus Trading Company: DIY Bangles.com: ¼” flat wood bangle

 

Hero Arts: Antique Brocade Cling stamp

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Use Sunflower Ink, applied with Stylus and Blender Tip, to ink outside edges of bangle; let dry.

 

2) Apply Turquoise ink to stamp, then use Stylus and Blender Tip to apply touches of Lime and Pink inks to stamp {make sure you clean off tip between inks to prevent contaminating your pads}

 

3) Carefully roll bangle across stamp using even pressure. When you get to the end of the stamp; start rolling again where you left off on the bangle along a new place on the stamp. Let dry.

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“Flower Script” bangle bracelet

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Crafter’s Ink: Sunflower, Pink and Lime, Frost White and Dune, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Marigold and Stylus with Blender Tip

 

Indus Trading Company: DIY Bangles.com: 5/8” flat wood bangle

 

Hampton Art: Friends clear stamp

 

Memory Box: Script Block wood stamp and Jewel Stickers: Diamond

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Use Frost White ink, applied with Stylus and Blender Tip, to ink outside edges of bangle; let dry.

 

2) Ink Script Block stamp using Dune ink, and then roll bangle across stamp using even pressure. When you get to the end of the stamp; start rolling again where you left off on the bangle along a new place on the stamp. Let dry.

 

3) Stamp flowers using Pink, Lime, Sunflower and Marigold Inks and let dry.

 

4) Apply rhinestones to centers of flowers.

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“BIG flowers” bangle bracelet

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Crafter’s Ink: Sunflower, Pink, Lime and Dune, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Marigold and Stylus with blender tip

 

Indus Trading Company: DIY Bangles.com: 1 ½” pentagon

 

Memory Box: Big Flower wood stamp

 

Tools: Beauty Swabs

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Use Lime ink, applied with Stylus and Blender Tip, to ink outside edges of bangle except for the panels; let dry.

 

2) Use Sunflower ink, applied with Stylus and Blender Tip, to ink the panels; let dry.

 

3) Stamp flowers using Pink ink and let dry.

 

4) Use a beauty swab to ink the center of the flowers using Marigold ink.

 

5) Use Dune ink applied with Stylus and Blender Tip to ink the edges of the panels to distress them.

 

Wear and enjoy!

---tami