stamp out loud by tami sanders

happy turkey day!!!

I had originally intended to post these THREE cards separately - but you are getting them all THREE in one post! Think of it as Thanksgiving dinner AND the leftovers all at once!

 

I started with the same basic set of supplies for both of these cards: Colorbox Archival Dye Ink Queue - Coffee House and Pigment Ink Queue Woodgrain and cream and pumpkin cardstocks. After that, I selected some fall stamps from My Sentiments Exactly, Memory Box and Hero Arts and created this trio of cards using those supplies. I wanted to mix the sheer, clear color of the dye ink with the strong, bold opaqueness of the pigment inks.

For the first card, I used a create your own tree stamp by My Sentiments Exactly and stamped the tree using dye ink and the leaves using the pigment inks...

 

The leaves are NICE and BOLD...

 

For the center card, I wanted to create a "backdrop" for the fall leaves, so I used dye ink to stamp the background, then used pigment ink to stamp the leaves...

 

Since the pigment ink is opaque, the leaves really stand out from the background...

 

And for the last card, I used the same stamp, inked with 3 different colors of pigment ink to stamp the 3 designs. Then, I used Smooch Accent Ink to fill in the leaves...

 

The Smooch Accent Ink added a shimmery touch of color and helped tie the trio together...

 

Here are the directions for these 3 fall themed cards...

“fall tree” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  ColorBox Archival Dye Ink Queue: Coffee House and  ColorBox Pigment Ink Queue: Woodgrain

My Sentiments Exactly: Thanksgiving and Nuture You stamp sets

Bazzill: Festive - Burlap, Candle Glow - Prismatics and Walnut Cream - Smoothies cardstocks and Brown Gingham ribbon

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, adhesive, and stapler

DIRECTIONS:

1) Cut a 7 X 6 1/2 piece of pumpkin cardstock and fold in half to make a 6 1/2 X 3 1/2 card.

2) Cut a 6 X 3 piece of cream cardstock and stamp tree and ink edges using Mudslide Dye Ink.

3) Use a different leaf stamp for each of these 3 colors: Roussillon, Amber and Ochre Pigment Inks, to stamp leaves at ends of branches and along the bottom of the card.

4) Stamp "Happy Thanksgiving" and ink edges of a 2 1/4 X 1 1/4 piece of cream cardstock using Mudslide Dye Ink. Mat piece on a 2 1/2 X 1 1/2 piece of mustard cardstock and staple folded piece of brown ribbon at upper right.

5) Adhere stamped cream piece to center front of card, then adhere matted sentiment at upper right.

 

“leaf trio” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  ColorBox Archival Dye Ink Queue: Coffee House,  ColorBox Pigment Ink Queue: Woodgrain

Hero Arts: Real Leaves Clear Design stamp set and Old Letter Writing wood mount stamp

My Sentiments Exactly: Thanksgiving stamp set

Bazzill: Festive - Burlap and Walnut Cream - Smoothies cardstocks

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors and adhesive

DIRECTIONS:

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

2) Cut a 4 X 5 1/4 piece of cream cardstock and stamp using Old Letter Writing stamp and Putty Dye Ink.

3) Stamp leaves over background using: Roussillon Pigment Ink for large leaf, Amber for medium leaf and Ochre for smaller leaf.

4) Ink "give thanks" stamp using Chestnut Pigment Ink at lower left.

5) Adere stamped cardstock piece to front of card.

 

“maple trio” card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap:  ColorBox Archival Dye Ink Queue: Coffee House,  ColorBox Pigment Ink Queue: Woodgrain and Smooch Accent Inks: Gold Lame, Pumpkin and Molasses

Memory Box: Maple Branch wood mount stamp

My Sentiments Exactly: Multi Classic alphabet

Bazzill: Festive - Burlap and Walnut Cream - Smoothies cardstocks

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

2) Stamp the image 3 times on a piece of cream cardstock using a different color of pigment ink each time: Roussillon, Amber and Ochre. Cut out when ink has dried.

3) Fill in leaves on each stamped image using Smooch Accent Inks and set aside to dry.

4) Stamp "grateful" on a 3/4 X 5 piece of cream cardstock using Mudslide Dye Ink. Dovetail ends.

5) Adhere 3 stamped images using dimensional foam dots to upper portion of card front, then adhere sentiment beneath.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving; and counts all their blessings as they celebrate this special day set aside to GIVE THANKS! 

p.s.:

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!

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.

 

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.
 

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

 

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

 

"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

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

 

"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

 

"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

 

"smooched" butterfly atc...

The next two projects will continue the butterfly theme of the clay pendant and will both feature similar color schemes; brown, orange, yellow and a touch of black. Butterflies are symbolic of spring, but I wanted the colors to be soft and subtle, not the bright pastel colors usually associated with spring. So, like the pendant, these projects could work equally well for fall.

 

Both projects will use the same technique to stamp the butterfly, so I want to share that with you first today. We’ll be applying different colors of Smooch Accent Ink to the stamp; then blending them together so that when you stamp the image, you get a soft, shimmery watercolor effect.

 

First, you’ll need to ink your stamp with Top Boss Embossing Ink – clear or tinted, it doesn’t matter. This will create a layer between the stamp and the Smooch so that the Smooch won’t dry on your stamp and will blend and release easier as well…

 

 

Then you need to dab different colors of Smooch onto the stamp, being careful not to get the tip in other colors {clean off before putting applicator back in bottle if you do}. Place colors as you would if you were painting in the image, but don’t blend yet and you don’t have to cover the entire surface of the stamp...

 

 

 

Here is a closeup of the “smooched” stamp…

 

 

Then gently use your finger to dab – not wipe – the colors to blend them on the stamp…

 

 

 

Then stamp as you would with a regular inked stamp, only be careful not to apply to much pressure or your stamp could slide…

 

 

Practice the technique on some scrap paper until you are happy with how the colors blend and you get the hang of it.

 

Today’s project is an ATC card, which I’m sure most of you are familiar with. ATC stands for Artist Trading Card and they are a fun way to share miniature works of art…

 

 

Here’s what you need to make your own ATC:

 

“Remember ” ATC

 

Skill Level: advanced

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Stylus Molding Mat: Moorish Tiles, Smooch Accent Ink: Silver Fox, Pumpkin, Gold Lame, Luscious Lime, Molasses and Tuxedo, Ancient Page Inkpad: Sandalwood, Sienna, Coal Black, Chocolate and Light Brown {full size or mini}, Top Boss: Tinted or Clear Embossing Pad, Asparagus and Dazzling Copper Embossing Powders, Design Adhesives: Sentiments and ColorBox Stylus Handle with white blender tip

 

Memory Box: Solid Butterfly wood mounted stamp

 

Hampton Art: Artsy Edges and Circle Birds clear stamps

 

Bazzill: Peanut cardstock

 

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, black pen – fine, foam dimensional dots, adhesive and heat gun.

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Use “smooch” technique described above, with Silver Fox, Luscious Lime, Pumpkin, Tuxedo and Molasses applied to circle stamp with scroll design on a piece of peanut cardstock. Set aside to dry, then cut out, leaving a thin border around the edge. Ink edges with Coal Black ink applied using ColorBox Stylus and white blender tip.

 

2) Use same “smooch” technique to ink butterfly stamp, using Silver Fox, Tuxedo, Pumpkin, Gold Lame and Molasses. Stamp on a piece of peanut cardstock and set aside to dry. Cut out, leaving a thin border around the image.

 

3) Ink hexagon section of molding mat using Sienna, Sandalwood, Coal Black and Light Brown applied and blended slightly using stylus with blender tip. Stamp on a piece of peanut cardstock. Ink the diamond section of the molding mat in the same way, using the same colors and stamp on a piece of peanut cardstock. Handcut stamped squares from cardstock; then cut each square into quarters measuring about 1”. You will only need 3 squares of each design.

 

4) Cut a 2 ½ X 3 ½ piece of peanut cardstock. Stamp the left and bottom edges using the narrow edge stamp from the Artsy Edges set and Coal Black ink. Use Chocolate and Coal Black ink, applied using stylus and bender tip, to ink the edges of card.

 

5) Use Coal Black and Chocolate ink, applied using stylus and blender tip to ink the edges of the 6 - 1” squares. Adhere the squares, in 2 vertical rows, beginning about 1/16” from the top right corner, and spacing the squares about 1/16” from each other.

 

6) Cut “memories” word and pronunciation from Design Adhesives sheet and adhere to a piece of peanut cardstock. Emboss using Asparagus embossing powder. Cut out design, leaving about 1/8” border around edges. Ink edges using Sandalwood and Chocolate inks.

 

7) Lay “memories” strip down left side of ATC just past top of border stamp. Cut “remember” from Design Adhesives sheet, and before you remove the backing, make sure it will fit along the bottom of the last row of squares. Adjust position of “memories” strip if needed, then adhere.

 

8) Apply “remember” Design Adhesive along the bottom row of squares, having the bottom of the letters right along the bottom edge of the squares. Emboss using Dazzling Copper embossing powder. When cool, outline the letters using black pen.

 

9) Adhere stamped circle from step 1) to the right side of card, about 1/8” up from the top of “remember”, having about ½ of the circle hang off the right side. Trim overhang and ink the edge using Chocolate and Coal Black ink applied with stylus and blender tip.

 

10) Adhere butterfly at the upper left of the circle using foam dimensional dots.

 

Now you are ready to trade!

 

---tami

 

flutter by here...

The project for today is a spring themed pendant made with polymer clay that has been “painted” using Smooch Accent Ink…

 

 

Don’t worry if you’ve never worked with polymer clay before, this project is quick and easy to make and I used stamping tools instead of specialized clay tools to create it. I’ve also included photos of each of the steps in the directions to make it even easier.

 

I wanted the pendant to have a vintage look, so I “stained” the clay with black Crafter’s Ink after I’d “smooched” it.

 

Here is a closeup of the pendant itself…

 

 

A bail and a piece of leather cording was all I needed to complete the project. You could also make a set of matching earrings to go with your pendant if you like. Just roll 12pter, thinner balls of clay and make sure that you emboss with one of the 12pter butterflies that are on the molding mat.

 

You could use these same techniques to create embellishments for other types of projects too. Like making a larger piece to adhere to an altered journal or composition book, or roll the clay thinner to create something to use on a scrapbook page.

 

Here are the supplies and instructions to create your own unique piece of jewelry…

 

“Vintage Spring ” pendant necklace

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Stylus Molding Mat: Flutter By, Smooch Accent Ink: Silver Fox, Carrot, Kiwi and Sundance, Crafter’s High Top Ink Pad: Black and ColorBox Stylus Handle with white blender tip

 

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

 

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

 

Tools: 2 large acrylic blocks {at least 3 X 3}, Static Away or Cornstarch, Paper Towels and wood skewer {or something to punch hole in pendant with}

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Condition clay according to package directions. Then pinch off 2 rows of clay and roll into a ball about 1 ¼” in diameter.

 

 

2) Dust the tops of 2 acrylic blocks LIGHTLY with Static Away or cornstarch; then place ball on one block and place the other, dusted side down on top of ball. Then press on top block using light even pressure until ball is flattened to about 1/8”. {Don’t worry if there is some slight cracking at the edges, you can fix that. And don’t worry if your pendant isn’t exactly round either}

 

 

3) Smooch the edges of the circle and gently push together any cracks using your fingers.

 

4) Place pendant back on the dusted surface of one of the blocks. Lightly dust your molding mat, then place the mat face down on top of the pendant. Place other acrylic block on top of mat to sandwich the clay and molding mat between the two blocks.

 

Then, using light even pressure, press down on the top block to impress the design into the clay. {Don’t press TOO hard!} Remove top block and peel away edge of molding mat to check design. If the design isn’t deep enough, replace mat and block and press again.

 

 

5) Carefully remove pendant from block and punch hole at top for bail. Then bake as directed on package. {I placed mine on a foil lined cookie sheet}

 

6) Once pendant has backed and cooled, you are ready to “smooch” it. Paint in embossed designs as you like…

 

 

Until all of the recessed designs have been painted in…

 

 

then set aside for about 15 minutes or until Smooch has dried completely before going on to next step.

 

7) Use black Crafter’s Ink applied using Stylus Handle and blender top to “stain” the pendant, front, back and sides. To do dip foam tip in ink pad, then gently rub onto pendant in a circular pattern…

 

 

 

Once you have covered the entire pendant, gently wipe excess ink off using a clean, white paper towel and set aside for about 15 - 20 minutes to dry.

 

 

8) Insert bail in hole and thread your lacing though. Finish ends as you like; I just left mine to tie so I could adjust the length.

 

wear and enjoy!

 

---tami

 

long and leggy...

Today’s project is a bright and cheerful card set that you can make for yourself or as a gift. Or better yet, make 2 sets, so you’ll have one to give and one to keep. {These would make a lovely gift for Mother’s Day too!}

 

 

I used 4 different stamps; all are STICK CHICKS by Karen Stopler, and are available from American Art Stamp. I just LOVE those skinny leg girls, the designs are all so cute. The stamps I used for the card set all feature flowers so they are perfect for spring.

 

Jean used some Stick Chick stamps in her posts for spring also, so if you like the designs, be sure you check out her posts too.

 

Even though portions of the images are VERY small and VERY narrow, the great applicator tip that comes with the Smooch Accent Ink, is able to get in there so you can “color inside the lines”. I like to emboss images that I plan to “Smooch” since it makes it easier to stay in those lines.

 

Here are some close-ups of the “Smooched” images…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can blend several colors of Smooch together to create shading – just use a clean beauty applicator and work quick as Smooch dries FAST! Or, you can add layers of color to create a new color. I shaded the flowers on the card with the pink background; I used Taffy on the petals, then added a touch of Sassy Pink near the center and blended the two where they met. For the pots, I used a base of Pumpkin, then layered Molasses over it to give the pots a more terra cotta look.

 

For the envelopes, I used some new ones from Hero Arts that have a fabulous shaped flap. AND – there is a liner template available too, which is what I used so that my cards and envelopes would coordinate.

 

 

 

Here’s what you need to make your own set…

 

“Long and Leggy Spring ” card set

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: Smooch Accent Ink: Taffy, Sassy Pink, Carrot, Pool, Grape Soda, Molasses, Kiwi, Sundance, Snickerdoodle, Silver Fox, Pumpkin and Tuxedo, Top Boss: Tinted Embossing Pad and Black Embossing Powder, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Rouge, Tangerine, Wisteria and Ocean {full or mini size}

 

American Art Stamp: Bouquet, Watering, Picking Daisies and Gardening Cling Mounted Stamps

 

Hero Arts: Hero Hues: Daffodil Folded Notes and Envelopes, Envelope Liner Template and Circle Pattern Cling Stamp

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl cardstock

 

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, pencil, heat gun, bone folder, beauty swabs and adhesive

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Stamp each of the 4 images on a 2 ½” X 4” piece of Coconut Swirl cardstock using Tinted Embossing Pad, sprinkle with Black Embossing Powder and heat set.

 

2) Use Smooch Accent Inks to color in the designs, using layering or blending ideas as suggested above.

 

3) Cut 4 – 3” X 4 ½” pieces and 4 – 3 ½” X 5 ½” pieces of Coconut Swirl cardstock and stamp 1 large and 1 small piece with the Circle Pattern stamp, using a different color of Chalk Ink for each pair. This will make the backgrounds and liners.

 

4) Use the envelope liner template to trace and cut out the envelope liners from the larger – 3 ½” X 5 ½” stamped pieces of cardstock. {Be sure you score along line in template too}.

 

5) Assemble the cards using the background color of your choice mixed with the “Smooched” stamped image of your choice.

 

6) Fold liners along score line and crease well using bone folder. Add adhesive the the back of the liners, insert in envelopes and press well to adhere. {hint: I folded mine along the score line to be sure the envelope would close correctly before the adhesive set.}

 

Now you are ready to write someone a note they are SURE to appreciate, or wrap up a gift for someone special!

 

---tami

 

pretty petals...

I've got another spring themed project for you today, and it's bursting with soft, pretty pastel colors: pink, lavender, blue, yellow and spring green.

Often it’s difficult to find printed papers or embellishments in color combinations that match your photos. But since Clearsnap has so many different types of inks in SO many beautiful colors, its easy to make your own papers and or embellishments that will match your photos PERFECTLY. 

Here’s today’s project, a layout titled “Spring Fair”... 

 

(Special thanks to Laura E for the photo of her beautiful girls!)

This 8 X 8 scrapbook page features a pretty bouquet of inked and "smooched" chipboard flowers. The flowers, part of Hampton Art's Flower Press line, started out as plain white chipboard. First they were tinted using ColorBox Pigment Inks. Then they were stamped with a coordinating stamp - made to fit each flower – that was inked with Fluid Chalk Ink. Finally accents were added or filled in using Smooch Accent Inks.

ColorBox Pigment Inks were the perfect ink to use to “paint” the chipboard; they are easy to blend, are very opaque and cover well. I decided to use the ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink to stamps the designs on the flowers with as they add a soft but crisp look and dry quickly. And to add a bit of color AND shimmer, the Smooch Accent Inks were the obvious choice. They are opaque and cover in one coat, so there was no bleed through of the base ink color, and they have a fabulous precision applicator built into the top so that I could get into all the little nooks and crannies of the stamped designs.

It was easy to ink the chipboard flowers as the surface is nice and smooth and since they are bright white the inks really "pop" once you apply them. I placed each flower on a clean white paper towel, and working one at a time with the ink pad held upside down, I dabbed the ink onto the chipboard until I had the coverage I wanted. I used the Pigment Inks in the mini size as they are very easy to handle. 

After the flowers were dry and I stamped the accents on them and then used spring shades of Smooch Accent Inks to fill in some of the designs of each of the flowers. 

Here's a few closeups of the flowers:

 

 

I used some pretty pearls, from Hero Arts, to embellish the centers of the flowers. I also used them to "dot" the "i's" in my title:  

 

Once all the flowers were done, all I had left to do was stamp the title and assemble the layout.

Here are the supplies and directions you'll need to create this project yourself:

"Spring Fair" 8 X 8 scrapbook layout 

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES: 

Clearsnap: ColorBox Pigment Inks: Orchid, Aqua, Sunflower and Heliotrope (mini or full size), ColorBox: Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan and Blue Lagoon (mini or full size) and Smooch Accent Ink: Carrot, Pool, Taffy, Grape Soda and Sundance  

Hero Arts:  Curly Alphabet Clear Design Stampsand Accent Pearls: Pink, Light Yellowand Light Lavender

Hampton Art: Flower Press: White Chipboard Flowers, Large White Chipboard Flowers, Petal Patterns Clear Stamp, Petal Words Clear Stamp, Large Petal Patterns Clear Stamp and Large Petal Words Clear Stamp

Bazzill: Lime Sherbert, Coconut Swirl and Banana Blis cardstocks

Tools: acrylic block scissors,paper trimmer and adhesive 

DIRECTIONS: 

1) Select 3 large, 3 12pt and 3 chipboard flowers and ink them using your choice of ColorBox Pigment Ink colors. Place the flowers on a clean white paper towel, and then holding the ink pad upside down, dab ink onto chipboard until desired coverage is reached. Set flowers aside to dry.

2) Using Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk Ink, stamp flowers with your choice of coordinating stamp design and set aside to dry.

3) Use your choice of Smooch Accent Ink colors to fill in portions of the stamped designs and set aside to dry.

4) Cut an 8” X 8” piece of yellow paper.

5) Cut a 1 ¾” X 6 ¾” piece of white cardstock. Stamp “spring fair” title near the top using Blue Lagoon Chalk Ink. Adhere piece about 1/8” from the left side of the yellow background, having the top and bottom evenly spaced.

6) Cut a 6 ½” X 7 ½" piece of lime green cardstock and adhere about ¼” from the right side and from the top and bottom of the yellow background cardstock.

7) Adhere photo about ¼” from upper right corner of layout.

8) Arrange and adhere flowers on layout.

9) Cut apart your choice of size and color pearls and adhere them to the flower centers. Select 2 pearls to “dot” the “I”’s with.

You can also make these pretty little flowers to use on an altered project or card – they’ll be cute on whatever you use them on!

---tami