stamp out loud by tami sanders

Christmas joy!

Today's card uses some of the same techniques as the card done in the last post.

The background has been "Smooched" using Smooch Spritz, then Design Adhesives have been applied and foiled...

  
 

And, as with the last card, there is PLENTY of sparkle and bling!

 

 

To add a bit of dimension to the card, "joy" was added using dimensional foam dots...

 

Smooch Spritz and Designer Foils are both perfect products to use when you want to dress up any holiday project. Both are easy to use and produce GREAT results!

Here's all you need to know to make this card yourself... 

“joy X 4” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Citrus Tickle and Limolicious, Design Adhesives: Memory Box Collection: In the Forest and Calm and Bright, Designer Foils: Cherry Pie and Irish Eyes, ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Golf Course, Stylus Handle and White Foam Blender Tip and Color Catcher

Bazzill: card: Ruby Slipper and Walnut Cream, Hillary and Parakeet cardstocks 

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

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 4 1/2 square piece of light green cardstock and mat on a 4 3/4 square of dark green cardstock. Adhere to upper portion of card front.

2) Cut a 5 X 5 square of cream cardstock and spritz lightly with both colors of Smooch Spritz; set aside to dry.

NOTE: Make sure that paper is COMPLETELY dry before doing this step - the Design Adhesives will not appy or adhere properly otherwise.

3) Cut the 5 X 5 "smooched" cardstock into 4 - 2" squares. {reserve leftover}

4) Cut apart poinsettia, 3 holly leaves and 1 set of berries, 1 set of ornaments and bird from Design Adhesive sheets. Apply  each set of designs to one of the 2" squares.

5) Apply red foil to poinsettia, berries, round ornament and bird. Apply green foil to leave and pointed ornament.

6) Use black pen to add sides, crowns and hooks to ornaments and legs and feet to bird.

7) Ink edges of all 4 - 2" squares using Golf Course Dye Ink applied with Stylus and blender tip.

8) Adhere squares to matted cardstock at top of card.

9) Cut apart and apply "christmas" beneath and aligned with the left side of the matted square. Apply green foil.

10) Cut apart and apply "joy" on the leftover piece of "smooched" cardstock. Apply red foil. Then trim around word, and ink edges using Golf Course Dye Ink applied with Stylus and Tip. Adhere at an angle at the end and slightly below "christmas".

MORE Holiday and Christmas projects are on the way, so please come back later!

AND --- within the next few months, Clearsnap will be COMBINING Jean's and my blogs into ONE big blog with projects by guest designers too! You can take a peek at it HERE! In the meantime, I will keep posting to our Typepad blogs, but the projects will also be posted on the Blogger blog --- so be sure to bookmark it!

Clearsnap has also started a FACEBOOK page, Be sure to check it out and join up so you can view projects posted by others as well as be the first to know about any news or special announcements!

jingle bells...jingle bells...

Listen... do you hear them? That distant sound of bells that is getting CLOSER and LOUDER everyday?

The theme of the next round of posts, and I hope to have a LOT of them, will be the holiday season.

Who doesn't love the holidays, and crafting for them? The colors, bright, vivid colors and the BLING! Now is the time to add a touch of sparkle and shimmer to ALL you create.

I'm starting off with an easy card today; one you can mass produce easily if you've procrastinated in getting your holiday cards done, but it still has plenty of BLiNg...

 

The card base is plain kraft cardstock, and the focal piece is just cardstock that has been "Smooched". Design Adhesives snowflakes were added and foiled with silver...

 

 The "peace" sentiment is just another Design Adhesive cut apart and applied to bits of cardstock and then covered in blue foil...

 

Here are the quick and easy to follow directions for this card.

“peace in blue” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Navy Twinkle and Vanilla Shimmer, Design Adhesives: Memory Box Collection: Flurries and Calm and Bright, Designer Foils: Silver Fog and Seaport, ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Mermaid, Stylus Handle and White Foam Blender Tip and Color Catcher

Bazzill: Kraft and Walnut Cream cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive and stapler

DIRECTIONS:

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

2) Cut a 3 X 4 piece of vanilla cardstock and place in Color Catcher. Lightly spritz with Navy Twinkle Smooch Spritz, then add a quick coat of Vanilla Shimmer. Set aside to dry.

3) Prepare sentiment while "smooched" piece is drying. Cut 5 - 1" X 1" pieces of vanilla cardstock. Cut apart "peace" design adhesive from set, and apply one letter to the center of each square. Gently rub blue foil over letters. Trim the pieces in random legths, keeping the widths to about 1/2". Ink edges using Mermaid Dye Ink.

NOTE: Make sure that paper is COMPLETELY dry before doing this step - the Design Adhesives will not appy or adhere properly otherwise.

4) Cut apart snowflakes from set and randomly apply to "Smooched" cardstock piece. The designs can overlap the eges, just trim excess and use elsewhere. Lay silver foil sheet over designs and rub gently. 

5) To assemble, staple or glue the "peace" letters to the lower edge of the "Smooched" piece, then adhere the "Smooched piece to the center of the card. 

MORE Holiday and Christmas projects are on the way, so please stop back by to see what's new!

AND --- within the next few months, Clearsnap will be COMBINING Jean's and my blogs into ONE big blog with projects by guest designers too! You can take a peek at it HERE! In the meantime, I will keep posting to our Typepad blogs, but the projects will also be posted on the Blogger blog --- so be sure to bookmark it!

Clearsnap has also started a FACEBOOK page, Be sure to check it out and join up so you can view projects posted by others as well as be the first to know about any news or special announcements!

cool, clear fall days...

I apologize for the unscheduled hiatus...

But, I've got a new project to share today! One that takes advantage of the beautiful fall weather; at least it's beautiful here in Texas, if you aren't as lucky, you can move the fun inside.

This project is also kid friendly, so if your kiddos are out of school, or will be soon, this could be a fun project for you to do together.

First, take a walk outside; around your house, around the block or maybe in your favorite park. Keep a lookout for some unique and pretty fall leaves, you'll need 3 small ones for the project. They also need to be fairly flat too. I found 3 right outside my door that were the right size and had a nice shape...

 

Once you've found the leaves, you need a few fall colors of Smooch Spritz, I used Gold Glow, Gingersnap, Green Olive and Wood Stain, and a 6 X 6 piece of cream cardstock. And since this is a outdoor-sy project, you can keep the mess outside too! Place the cardstock on a patch of grass or other dry and semi-clean area in your yard and isn't too windy. If the weather in your area isn't as nice as it is here, then just use the Color Catcher to keep the mess contained. Then spritz or let the kids spritz, the cardstock with the lighter colors: Gold Glow, Gingersnap and a little bit of Green Olive. You just want light coverage across the paper, you aren't trying to saturate it, and you only want a little touch of the Green Olive You might want to experiment first on a scrap of cream cardstock; I tried the technique out on 2 smaller leaves; they were used on the finished card, the ones at the center...

 

Then arrange the leaves you collected on the cardstock, making sure to leave {no pun intended!} about 1/2 to 1 inch border around all sides of the cardstock. Then spritz lightly with the Wood Stain Spritz, making sure to spray around all edges of the leaves...

 

Let the ink set and dry a few minutes, then carefully remove the leaves - they'll have ink on them and you don't want to smudge your project!

 

Then, just follow the directions below to turn your spritzed paper into the card...

“shadow leaves” card

Skill Level: easy - kid friendly

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Wood Stain, Gold Glow, Gingersnap and Green Olive and Color Catcher {optional}

Petersen-Arne: Paper Accents Muslin cardstock: cream and mustard

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, fine black pen and foam dimensional dots

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 6 X 6 piece of cream cardstock and follow steps listed above to spritz leaves design on it.

2) When paper has dried, tear about 1/2" around all edges. Turn up bottom right corner and secure with a foam dot. Then adhere to a 6 X 12 piece of mustard cardstock folded in half to make card.

3) Use black pen to lightly outline the leaves and fill in the veins. Also cut out the 2 "trial" leaves if desired and add details to them as well.

4) Adhere the 2 smaller leaves at the center of your spritzed leaves using dimensional foam dots to adhere the top one.

5) Write "give thanks..." in black pen under turned up corner.

I'm going to try to squeak a few more Fall/Thanks projects in before we start a new theme - CHRISTMAS!!!

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

AND --- within the next few months, Clearsnap will be COMBINING Jean's and my blogs into ONE big blog with projects by guest designers too! You can take a peek at it HERE! In the meantime, both Jean and I will keep posting to our Typepad blogs, but the projects will also be posted on the Blogger blog --- so be sure to bookmark it!

Clearsnap has also started a FACEBOOK page, Be sure to check it out and join up so you can view projects posted by others as well as be the first to know about any news or special announcements!

giving thanks...

Time for a new theme! Or should I say themes, because the next round of blog projects will focus on... Fall, Thanksgiving and giving thanks in general.

The first project fits in the "giving thanks" category; it's a little gift pail that would make a nice gift for a teacher, neighbor, co-worker or anyone else you would like to give a little  special thank you to...

 

You can fill it with homemade treats, candy, a gift certificate, or any other little goodie or goodies you can think of.

The pail is just a small, clear, pint size paint can that can be purchased at a craft store, or you might have one sitting around that contained some Prima flowers.

This project is fairly quick and easy to, and can be done assembly line if you need to make several.

Book paper was used, just a few pages out of an old book, to make the flowers, the band on the pail, and to cover the lid.

To make the flowers, 5 circles were punched from the book paper, then the circles were stacked and a hole was pierced at the center. A brad was used to secure the circles.

Then the edges of the circles were fringed, from the outer edge to almost the center, clipping though all the layers. After that, the petals were fluffed, pinched, scrunched and coaxed into fullness.

Smooch Spritzes were used to add shimmery color to the flowers. Smooch Spritzes differ from some of the other sprays out there - think of them more as an ink you can spray. They are SUPER concentrated, and SUPER vivid, and the shimmer is GORGEOUS! And, as if all that wasn't enough, Smooch Spritz will NOT warp your papers. If you give them a try, be sure that you spray lightly at first, just spritz and move your hand like you are spray painting. And the Color Catcher is a great way to spray without all the mess. It's a fold away "spritz station", that keeps the color where you want it - your project - and off other surfaces where you don't want the ink to go.

here is a closeup look at the flowers, note there isn't a warped petal in site...

 

 

 

And here's a view of the "Thank You" tag...

 

When you wrap the paper around the pail, cut out a small semi circle for the handle...

 

And or course you can always make these flowers to use on lots of other projects as well - cards, layouts, home decor, anything that needs a special little floral touch. 

Here are all the supplies and directions you'll need to make this project yourself... 

“flower pail” altered paint can

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Carrot Cake, Gingersnap, Citrus Tickle, Cosmic Pink and Silver Foil, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Pumpkin Spice and Lime Pastel, ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Wicked Black and Color Catcher

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messages PolyClear Stamps

Other: Pint Size Clear Paint Can, brads, book pages, scrap of cardstock for tag and jute.

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, 1 1/2" and 2" circle punches and 1/8" hole punch.

DIRECTIONS:

PAIL:

1) Cut 2 - 2" strips from book paper - trim each to length that will fit halfway around pail plus 1/2".  

2) Tear along bottom edge of strips; they should measure about 1 1/2" tall. Ink torn edges using Pumpkin Spice Chalk Ink.

3) Wrap strips around upper edge of pail, marking where handles are, cutaway a semicircle on each strip to allow room for handles, then adhere pieces around pail.

4) For lid, push a piece of thin scrap paper into the indention of the lid to make a template, then cut a circle slightly smaller from book paper, ink edge with Pumpkin Spice Chalk Ink and adhere to the center of the lid.

FLOWERS:

1) Punch 5 - 1 1/2" circles and 15 - 2" circles from book paper.

2) Stack 5 - 1 1/2" circles, and make 3 stacks containing 5 - 2" circles each.

3) Use 1/8" hole punch at the center of each stack, insert brads in each set to secure.

4) Clip circles around edges almost to center to fringe. The closer you make the "snips", the fuller your flower will be.

5) Gently squeeze, pinch, crumble and fluff petals to separate.

6) Use Smooch Spritzes to tint flowers. Gingersnap and Carrot Cake were used on the small flower made from 1 1/2" circles as well as one of the larger flowers. Cosmic Pink was used on one of the other larger flowers and Citrus Tickle was used on the last large flower. All had a touch of Silver Foil added for some contrast - but don't overdo it, or you'll end up with grey-ish flowers. Add just a quick spritz of the Silver Foil here and there on each of the flowers.

7) Cut 5 leaves from book paper - 2 small and 3 larger ones. Fold in half to add some dimension, then ink the leaves using Lime Pastel Chalk Ink.

8) Adhere small flower and 2 small leaves to lid, and 3 larger flowers and 3 larger leaves to front of band.

TAG:

1) Cut 2 - 1 3/4" X 1 1/4" pieces from book paper and 1 piece from cardstock. Adhere book paper to either side of cardstock piece.

2) Ink "Thank You" stamp using Wicked Black Dye Ink, and stamp diagonally on tag. Ink edges of tag using Pumpkin Spice Chalk Ink.

3) Punch a hole at the top of the tag, and tie to the handle using a piece of jute.

NOW --- all you need to do is fill your treat pail with whatever you like!

MORE Fall/Thanksgiving/Giving Thanks projects are on the way, so please stop back by and see what's new.

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

nevermore...

Since I had the polymer clay sitting out {it was used for the charm on the treat box in the last post}, I decided to make a SPOOKtacular pendant for Halloween...

 

Polymer Clay is a great medium to use with your stamping supplies. Stamps can be used to add designs to the clay just by pressing them into it, and your inks and sprays can be used to add some COLOR to the design.

For this pendant, a stamp was pressed into the clay, then after baking, several colors of Smooch Spritz were added to create a soft collage of "Halloween" colors. Then Crafter's Ink in Black was applied and rubbed in to "antique" the piece. Smooch Spritzes add a pretty touch of shimmer and work well on the clay. And the Crafter's Ink can be blended and worked into the design to get in all the little nooks and crannies. Let the ink set a few minutes, then gently buff off the excess.  

Here's a closer look at the pendant...

 

You can see my fingerprints in the clay as i used my "special" tools - aka my fingers to flatten the clay!  I wanted the pendant to have a free form shape, so fingers were the best tools to use to achieve that look.

After the pendant was done, I added a bail to it and strung it on some leather cording.

If you'd like to try using your stamping supplies with polymer clay, here's what you need to know...

“nevermore” polymer clay pendant

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Carrot Cake, Citrus Tickle and Gold Glow, Crafter’s High Top Ink Pad: Black, ColorBox Stylus Handle with white blender tip and Color Catcher

Indus Trading Company: Deerskin Lace – 1/8” black 

Memory Box: Spooky Collage wood mount stamp

Other: Plaid: Forged: metal findings – multi bales and Polymer Clay: beige 

Tools: a wood skewer {or something to punch hole in pendant with}, scissors, pliers and heat gun {optional}

DIRECTIONS:

1) Condition clay according to package directions.

2) Break off a piece and roll to form a 1 1/2" to 2" ball.

3) Use your fingers to flatten into a free form rectangle shape about 1/8" thick.

4) Press stamp into clay, careful not to press too hard.

5) Make hole at center top and bake pendant according to package directions.

6) When pendant has completely cooled, place it in the Color Catcher and lightly spray with Smooch Spritz letting the colors overlap slightly. Set aside piece to dry or use heat gun to speed drying time.

7) After you make sure Smooch Spritzes have completely dried, apply Crafter's Ink using Stylus and Foam Tips, smoothing ink into the impressed designs and also around the edges of the pendant. Let side about 10 minutes, then gently buff with a paper towel.

8) Add bail to pendant, then string onto lacing.

9) Add a protective coat if desired.

This was the LAST of my Halloween projects, but fall and Thanksgiving themed projects are on the way! Please come back to visit and see what's new!

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

no tricks...just treats!

Halloween is a great holiday to think "crafty". Cards, decor, gift items, party goodies, there are LOTS of things you can create for Halloween.

Today's project is a quick and easy gift idea for teachers, co-workers, neighbors, friends or it would also be perfect as a party favor...

 

 

The base is a diecut pillowbox that was cut from orange cardstock. Then, it was stamped randomly using ColorBox Archival Dye Ink in Wicked Black before it was assembled...

 

The charm was made from polymer clay. A rubber stamp was pushed into the clay to create the pumpkin image, then after the clay was baked, the charm was lightly sprayed with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz, and the design was filled in using Smooch Accent Inks...

 

This is another kid friendly project; kids could easily stamp the pillowboxes, and help make the charms. And the kiddos would REALLY enjoy filling the boxes with treats! {Especially if they could sneak a few treats for themselves while doing so!} These would make cute little gift card holders too - just add some tissue. Adults would need to help assemble the boxes and to supervise the baking and cooling of the charms.

Here's all you need to know if you'd like to try this project yourself...

“treat me!” pillowbox treat container

Skill Level: easy - kid friendly with adult supervision 

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Carrot, Sundance, Kiwi and Smooch Spritz: Silver Foil, ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Wicked Black and Color Catcher

Hero Arts: Month - October ClearDesign stamp

Bazzill: Intense Orange cardstock and Black Dashed and Black Stripe ribbon

Other: Polymer Clay - Black

Tools: Accucut Die: Box #4 {or purchased pillowbox blank}, scissors, adhesive, toothpick, heat gun {optional}

BOX:

1) Diecut pillowbox from orange cardstock.

2) Ink "trick or treat" stamp using Wicked Black Archival Dye Ink, and stamp randomly over diecut.

3) Assemble box leaving top open to add treats.

CHARM:

1) Condition clay according to package directions, then roll a 1 1/2" to 2" piece of polymer clay into a ball. Press between 2 acrylic blocks to flatten. {see photos of a similar project HERE}

2) Impress pumpkin stamp into center of clay disk. Use a toothpick to add detail to edges and to add a hole at center top.

3) Back charm as directed on polymer clay package.

4) Place charm in Color Cather and lightly spritz charm Silver Foil Smooch Spritz. Use heat gun to speed dry time if desired, otherwise set charm aside to dry.

5) Fill in design using Smooch Accent Inks. Use heat gun to speed dry time or set charm aside to dry. You may want to add a protective coat of glaze.

FINISHING:

1) Fill treat box, then seal.

2) Wrap a ribbon around box, overlapping and securing ends at back.

3) Tie charm onto front using another piece of ribbon.

I still have ONE more {at least!} Halloween project to share; so please come back by to see what's new.

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

a spell-cial halloween card...

What colors come to mind when I say "Halloween"?

Orange, Black, possibly Yellow? Maybe Lime Green or Purple?

How about Pink?

No, pink isn't a color I usually associate with Halloween either, that's why I thought it might be a fun color to try incorporating in a Halloween card.

I started with a pink card as the base, then added some touches of more "traditional" Halloween colors...

 

I stamped and embossed the cute little witch and her magical "wake" using Top Boss Tinted Embossing Pad and Black Embossing Powder. The images are nice and crisp so the designs are easy to fill in with Smooch Accent Inks. Top Boss Embossing Powders are very fine, so when you heat set them, even the tiniest details remain SHARP!

And thanks to the fabulous built in precision tip that Smooch Accent Inks have, you can "smooch" even the itsy-bitsy-est portions of your stamped and embossed designs...

  

The background paper for the "wake" is white cardstock that has been sprayed with Silver Foil Smooch Spritz, to add some shimmer...

 

The "moon" background that the witch is stamped on is just a circle that was punched from plain, white cardstock. Then ColorBox Pigment Ink in Canary was used to color it in. ColorBox Pigment Inks blend beautifully, even on plain cardstock, so by blending the color from the outside in, the outer edge stayed darker, easily creating a shaded affect.

The same technique was used to create the background for the sentiment, which was stamped and embossed...

 
 

If you'd like to make this card for a spell-cial friend or maybe a daughter, granddaughter or neice, here's what you need to know...

“witchie-poo” card

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Top Boss: Tinted Embossing Pad and Embossing Powder: Black, Smooch Accent Ink: Carrot, Sundance, Kiwi, Molasses, Grape Soda and Sassy Pink, Smooch Spritz: Silver Foil, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Canary, Stylus Handle and White Foam Blender Tip and Color Catcher

Hero Arts: Month - October ClearDesign stamp

Hampton Art: Mini Flip Flops: Witches Brew

Memory Box: Jewel Spiders

Bazzill: Card: Fussy from Cards & Envelope Set, Black Dashed Ribbon and Blackberry Swirl, Coconut Swirl and Intense Orange cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, fine black pen, foam dimensional dots, 1 3/4 scalloped square punch, 2 1/2 circle punch and a heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Trim 5 X 7 pink card to 4 X 6.

2) Cut a 3 1/2 X 4 piece of black cardstock and adhere to upper portion of card front.

3) Punch 2 scalloped squares from orange cardstock, add stitching lines with black pen and adhere to upper left and lower right corners of black cardstock.

4) Punch a circle from white cardstock and use ColorBox Pigment Ink in Canary, blended with the Stylus and White Foam Blender Tip, to apply ink from outside edge of circle in towards the center. Set aside to dry.

5) Cut a 2 1/4 X 1 1/8 piece of white cardstock and use same technique as in step {4} to color in cardstock. Set aside to dry.

6) Stamp witch in center of circle using Top Boss Tinted Embossing Pad and then emboss with Black Embossing Powder. Stamp sentiment in center of rectangle using same technique.

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

8) Fill in witch design using Smooch Accent Inks.

9) Stamp and emboss border design on "smooched" cardstock. Cut out "wake" and fill in "bubbles" using Smooch Accent Inks.

10) To assemble, adhere ribbon about 3/4 from bottom of card, then adhere sentiment about 1/2 from right side of card; adding spider stickers. Adhere moon to center of black background, then use dimensional foam dots to adhere "wake" at bottom of moon.

MORE Halloween projects are on the way, so please stop back by to see what's new!

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

world cardmaking day - SPOOKY STYLE!

Today is World Cardmaking Day, so in honor of that, I have not one card but TWO to share!

And since the current theme for the blog is "Halloween", both cards are "hauntingly" fun; but they differ in style.

First up is a fun and simple Halloween card playing on traditional colors of orange and black...

 

The row of pumpkins is made up of single pumpkins that have been stamped using Watermark Ink on orange cardstock and then embossed with Top Boss Black Embossing Powder...

 

Then, to add a little shimmer to the pumpkins, I used Smooch Illuminate to fill in the pumpkin designs...

 
 

Here's a closeup of the pumpkins with a little sunlight on them, you can see the shimmer better...

 

The stems of the pumpkins were filled in with Lucious Lime Smooch Accent Ink...

 

Next up is a Halloween card that is a little more on the "dark side"...

 

The background paper was made by spraying several colors of Smooch Spritzes on kraft cardstock, then, while the colors were still wet, the cardstock was shaken to create runs and drips...

 

The designs and sentiment were stamped with ColorBox Pigment Ink in Black and then embossed using Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder, Smooch Accent Ink in Moonlight was used to fill in the wording...

 

A different set of Smooch Spritz colors was used to create the background for the clock piece...

 

Then, a simple, black ribbon was pinned to the bottom of the card using a small, black safety pin...

 

So whether your Halloween-style leans toward fun and funky or distressed and spooky, you'll be able to send a card that reflects YOUR style!

Here are the directions for both cards...

 “happy haunting” halloween card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch: Illuminate and Lucious Lime, Top Boss: Embossing Powder: Black, White and Orange Zest and Watermark Ink

Hero Arts: friendly pumpkin wood mounted stamp

My Sentiments Exactly: Retro Lower/Numbers and Perky Lower/Number clear stamp sets

Bazzill: Parakeet card from Card & Envelope Set and Blackberry Swirl and Intense Orange cardstocks

 Other: white brads and dimensional foam dots

Tools: paper trimmer, adhesive, scissors, paper piercer and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

1) Stamp 5 pumpkins on orange cardstock using Watermark Ink, and emboss using Top Boss Black Embossing Powder.

2) Fill in pumpkins with Illuminate Smooch and stems using Lucious Lime Smooch, then cut put pumpkins.

3) Cut a 5 X 2 1/4 piece of black cardstock. Stamp "haunting" along bottom of piece using Watermark Ink and Retro alpha stamps, emboss with Top Boss White Embossing Powder.

4) Stamp "happy" above "aun" of "haunting" using Watermark Ink and Perky alpha stamps, emboss with Top Boss Orange Zest Embossing Powder.

5) Adhere sentiment at an angle at top left of card front.

6) Cut a 3/4 X 7 piece of black cardstock. Adhere about 1/2 up from bottom of card. Pierce holes at sides and insert white brads.

7) Adhere pumpkins along strip, using dimensional foam dots to adhere a few of them.

 

“spooky” Halloween card

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Gingersnap, Cherry Ice, Silver Foil, Limolicious and Citrus Tickle, Smooch Accent Ink: Moonlight, Top Boss Embossing Powder: Clear, ColorBox Pigment Ink: Black and Fluid Chalk Ink: Blackbird and Color Catcher

Hampton Art: Flip Flop: Spooky and Clock clear stamps

Memory Box: Spooky Collage

Bazzill: kraft cardstock

Other: black ribbon, small black safety pin and small antique silver brad

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

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut an 8 X 8 1/2 piece of kraft cardstock and fold in half to make card.

2) Cut a 5 X 8 piece of kraft cardstock and place in Color Catcher. Spray different areas of paper, letting colors overlap a bit with Gingersnap, Silver Foil and Cherry Ice Smooch Spritzes. While paper is still wet, shake in a downwards direction to help ink run and drip. Set aside to dry.

3) Cut a 4 X 4 piece of kraft cardstock and place in Color Catcher. Spray with Limolicious and Citrus Tickle Smooch Spritzes and set aside to dry.

4) Ink Spooky Collage stamp with ColorBox Black Pigment Ink and stamp towards top of 5 X 7 piece of "smooched" cardstock. Emboss using Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder.

5) Tear around edges of stamped design, reserving excess paper for sentiment. Ink edges using Blackbird Chalk Ink.

6) Fold a 4" piece of black ribbon in half and dovetail ends. Safety pin to lower left of stamped piece and then adhere to front of card about 3/4 from top.

7) Stamp sentiment "haunted", "halloween" using stamps from Spooky set using ColorBox Black Pigment Ink and then embossing with Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder. Use Smooch Accent ink in Moonlight to fill in "haunted". Trim piece to measure 4 1/4 wide, then tear along top and bottom edges. Ink edges using Black bird Chalk Ink and adhere under background image.

8) Stamp "Clock Face" from clock set onto 4 X 4 "smooched" cardstock using ColorBox Black Pigment Ink and emboss with Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder. Stamp hands using black ink and emboss them as well. Fill in hour hand using Moonlight Smooch Accent Ink.

9) Use a paper piercer to place a hole at center of clock and insert brad. Adhere clock to upper right hand corner of card using foam dimensional dots.

I hope you are finding LOTS of inspiration for cards today, and that you enjoyed these two! Please stop back by for more Halloween themed projects. 

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

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.

"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.
 

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.

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

 

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

"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

 

"smooched" X 2 thank you note...

My last post described a technique on how to apply Smooch Accent Ink to a rubber stamp in order to create a soft, pretty watercolor image. Today’s project will use that same technique; so please refer back to my post on 5-13 “smooched butterfly ATC”, for complete directions and step by step photos of the technique.

 

The project is a shimmery, glimmery thank you note that anyone would love to receive…

 

 

The Smooch technique is used on the script, circle butterfly…

 

 

I used 2 colors of Smooch Spritz to bling up some plain white cardstock to create the card, so this project has shimmer X 2! 

 

There are a few steps involved in making this card, but none of them are hard. And once you’ve learned how, you can apply the techniques used on this card on projects you design yourself.

 

Here’s what you need to make this thank you note:

 

“Butterfly Thanks” card

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Gingersnap and Gold Glow, Smooch Accent Ink: Carrot, Sundance, Taffy and Tuxedo, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Blackbird {full or mini size} and Color Catcher

 

Hampton Art: Foot Longs: Big & Little Alphas, Artsy Edges and Circle Birds clear stamps

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl cardstock

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

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

 

2) Place card in Color Catcher and spritz front of card with Gingersnap and Gold Glow Smooch Spritzes; spraying from about 12” away to apply a fine mist of both colors. Let dry.

 

3) Stamp border and “thanks” using Blackbird chalk ink on front of card.

 

4) Using Smooch technique described in 5/13 post, apply Smooch Accent Inks to circle script butterfly stamp and stamp image on white cardstock; let dry.

 

5) Cut out circle, then lay in Color Catcher and apply a very light spritz of Gold Glow Smooch Spritz to circle; let dry.

 

6) Adhere circle to front of card as shown using foam dimensional dots.

Now all you need is someone special to THANK!

---tami