stamp out loud by tami sanders

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!

it's a banner day...

I enjoy collecting vintage holiday decor items, and Halloween is second only to Christmas when I'm on the hunt for items to add to my collection.

 

I like the classic designs; black cats, warted witches and spooky ghosts, but I am attracted to the colors as well. Classic black and orange with white that has turned a soft cream over the years. And crepe paper, you can't forget about crepe paper, it was pleated and tucked and used to adorn lots of vintage Halloween decor items.

 

So when thinking about Halloween projects for the blog, I knew that I wanted to include at least one that reflected the vintage halloween style that I enjoy; so I decided on a Halloween banner... 

 

 

 

Instead of using cream cardstock to stamp the letters on, I used pages from an old book. Pages from old books take on the same soft creamy color as I find in old Halloween decor...

  

I punched squares from book pages, then stamped the letters on them using Pumpkin Pie Archival Dye Ink. A black pen was used to lightly outline the letters so they would be more pronounced, then then edges of the squares were inked using ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in Blackbird. Then the squares were mounted on circles punched from orange cardstock, the edges of which were also inked. Then to add the finishing touch, crepe paper was pleated around the edges of each circle...

 

A piece of string, vintage of course, was used to attach all the pieces together. I put a piece of double sided tape on the back of each circle, and pressed on the string. Then smaller circles punched from orange cardstock were glued on to cover the string...

 

If you like a touch of vintage in your Halloween decor, here are all the supplies and directions you'll need to create your own banner... 

“string me along” Halloween banner

  

Skill Level: easy  

 

SUPPLIES:

 

Clearsnap: ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Pumpkin Pie, ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Blackbird

   

Bazzill : Intense Orange cardstock

  

My Sentiments Exactly: Romantic Caps clear stamps

  

Other: black crepe paper streamers, string or twine and book pages {You can find old books in flea markets or thrift stores; I used old reader's digest books.}

 

Tools: 1 3/4 scalloped square punch, 2  and 2 3/4 circle punches, scissors, adhesive, double sided tape and fine black pen.

  

DIRECTIONS:

 

1) Punch 9 scalloped squares from book paper. Stamp one letter at a time on each square to spell "HALLOWEEN" using Pumpkin Pie Archival Dye Ink.

 

2) Outline each letter lightly using black pen, then ink edges of scalloped squares using Blackbird Chalk Ink.

 

3) Punch 9 - 2 3/4 circles from orange cardstock. Glue a stamped square in the center of each of the circles.

 

4) Ink edges of circles using Blackbird Chalk Ink. Then apply adhesive around edges of circles on the BACK of each one, and pleat crepe paper around edge.

 

5) Lay out circles upside down and reading from right to left on a table, making sure the letters are turned correctly. Place a piece of double sided tape on the back of each circle, about 1 to 1 1/4 down from top of orange circle. Place string across letters, leaving a 2-3 foot "tie" on each side and about 1/2 to 3/4 space between each letter.

 

6) Punch 9 - 2 circles from orange cardstock and glue a circle to cover the string on the back of each piece. 

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

 

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

 

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.

water the flowers...

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

  

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 
 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

“grateful garden” thank you card

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES:

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

 

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

 

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messages ClearDesign Stamps

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS:

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

 

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

 

3) Cut squares of rolled design apart.

 

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

 

Color Guide:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

"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.
 

vintage botanicals...

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

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

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

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

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

 
 

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

 

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

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

“botanicals” ATC cards

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

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

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

Bazzill: Kraft cardstock

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

Leaves Botanical ATC:

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

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

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

Floral Botanical ATC:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finishing:

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

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

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

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

aloha summer...

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

"hula gal" card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

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

American Art Stamps: Hula Set

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl and Kraft cardstocks

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---tami

 

leftovers...

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

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

 

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

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

 

 

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

“happy leftovers” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

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

 

Hampton Art: Happy Birthday Clear Stamps

 

Hero Arts: Happy Letters PolyClear Stamps

 

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

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

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

 

CARD FRONT:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

INSIDE CARD:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

jump in a lake...

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

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

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

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

lime polka dot on pale yellow cardstock…

 

 

 

yellow canvas stripe on white cardstock…

 

 

 

aqua circles on white cardstock…

 

 

aqua bubbles on light aqua cardstock…

 

 

pink polka dots on soft pink cardstock…

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 
 

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

 

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

 

“fun at the lake” mini book

 

Skill Level: easy to moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

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

 

Memory Box: Pearls Stickers: Frost Blue

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl and Kraft cardstocks

 

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

 

Other: 6 X 6 chipboard book and ribbons

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

To “Smooch” chipboard book

 

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

 

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

 

To create printed papers:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

To create word embellishments:

 

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

 

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

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

 

Putting it together:

 

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

 

2) Add word embellishments to each page.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

summertime...

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

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

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

“happy thoughts” card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

Hero Arts: Heartfelt Messagesand Sea LifePolyClear stamps

 

Bazzill: Kraft cardstock

 

Paper Accents: Steel Magnolia and Ocean Breeze muslin cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive, scissors and paper trimmer

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

 

"pails" in comparison...

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

beyond the "pail" altered pail

 

Skill Level: moderate

SUPPLIES: 

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

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

 

MySentiments Exactly: Romantic Caps

 

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

 

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

 

Prima: E-line Flowers: Brown

Other: quart size metal and clear acrylic pail

 

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

DIRECTIONS:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

---tami

let them eat cake...

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

“la parisian” thank you card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

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

 

Hampton Art: Wedding clear stamps

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

---tami

a little inspiration...

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

“time flies” card

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

Hero Arts: Circle Pattern cling stamp

Hampton Art: Clock and Word Collage Borders clear stamps

My Sentiments Exactly: Parfait Multi clear stamps

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

Tools: adhesive, scissors, paper trimmer and heat gun

DIRECTIONS:

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

 

travel journal...

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

“”World Traveler” altered composition book

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

Hero Arts: Travel Journal ClearDesign stamps

 

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

 

My Sentiments Exactly: Romantic Caps

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS:

 

Designer Notes:

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

 

"owl" about another "guy" card?

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

“”Cutie Hootie” thank you card

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

Hampton Art: Owls 1 cling stamp

 

Bazzill: Kraft, Frosted Teal and Walnut Cream cardstocks

 

Tools: adhesive and paper trimmer

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

 

all in the family...

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

 

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

 

This layout has examples of both of these ideas…

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

 

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

 

 

 

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

 

“”My Family” 8 X 8 layout

 

Skill Level: moderate

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

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

 

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

 

Hero Arts: Circle Pattern cling stamp

 

Hampton Art: Artsy Edges and Word Collage Borders clear stamps

 

Memory Box: Lattice Background wood mount stamp

 

My Sentiments Exactly: Family clear stamps

 

Bazzill: Kraft and Nautical Blue cardstocks

 

Other: antique silver brads and fine tip black pen

 

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

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

---tami

 

"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

 

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

 

mother's day frame...

Mother’s Day is early this year… are you ready for it? 

 

If not, you may want to check out today's project and drop back by on Monday for a trio of quick and easy Mother's Day cards.

 

Today’s project is a frame all decked out in flowers, to hold a special poem or photo...

 

 

I used the four new ColorBox Fluid Chalk Inks on today’s project. They are bright, spring-y, happy colors that are just right for Mother’s Day.

 

I started with an unfinished wood frame and “stained” it using ColorBox Pigment Ink. Then I stamped a bunch of flowers...

 

 

 

And to add a touch of bling, I overstamped the flowers, slightly offset, using Watermark ink and then embossed them with a shimmery embossing powder. This technique adds a little dimension too...

 

 

Then, I just cut them out and adhered them to the frame. 

 

Here are the supplies you need to make this special gift for YOUR mom…

 

"Flower Bedecked" Frame

 

Skill Level: easy

 

SUPPLIES: 

 

Clearsnap: ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: new colors! Butterscotch, Berrylicious, Deep Lagoon and Blackberry (full or mini size), ColorBox Pigment Ink: Lime (full or mini size), Top Boss: Embossing Powder – Opalescent Clear and Watermark (full or mini size)

 

Memory Box: Large Vintage Flower, Big Sunshine Daisy, Foo Foo Daisy and Solid Marigold wood mount stamps

 

Bazzill: Coconut Swirl cardstock

 

Other: 4 X 6 unfinished wood frame

 

Tools: paper trimmer, scissors, heat gun, white paper towel and adhesive

 

DIRECTIONS: 

 

1) Lightly dab Lime ColorBox Pigment ink along one side of frame, then wipe with paper towel to spread ink and “stain” the wood. Continue working one side at a time until the entire frame – including inside and outside edges have been inked.

 

2) Stamp the following onto white cardstock:

 5   --- Big Sunshine Daisies with Butterscotch chalk ink

 6   --- Solid Marigold with Berrylicious chalk ink

 5   --- Large Vintage Flower with Deep Lagoon chalk ink

13  --- Foo Foo Flowers with Blackberry

3) Working  on 1 style of flower at a time, overstamp each, moving slightly down and to the right, with Watermark Ink. Sprinkle with Opalescent Clear embossing powder and heat set.

4) Cut out flowers, leaving a thin white border around each.

 

5) Arrange and adhere flowers around frame, making sure placement won’t interfere with how the frame stands.

 

6) Fill frame with a poem or photo.

 

Be sure to stop back by on Monday! The post will include 3 cards, one for mom, one for Grandma and one that's so easy – even a child can make it!

 

---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 

welcome...

Hello and welcome to Clearsnap's BRAND NEW BLOG!

I'm Tami Sanders and I'll be your hostess here.  I hope that you will find this blog to be a place full of the three I's: inspiration, information and ideas!

For the next few weeks, the theme for the blog will be SPRING! Spring is such a beautiful time of the year, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing and the trees have a fresh set of shiny new leaves.

Here in Texas, the wildflowers are blooming. There are flowers everywhere, blanketing the roadsides and meadows like a colorful quilt, red, blue, purple, yellow, pink and white. The wildflowers haven't been this pretty in years! I've enjoyed the gorgeous Texas spring landscape so much this year that I decided to use it as inspiration for the very FIRST project for this blog.

I started by selecting the colors I wanted to use: blue for the bluebonnets, red for the indian paints, yellow for the bitterweed and purple for the wild verbena. Then, because the scattered patches of colors reminded me of a quilt, I decided my project should reflect that too. So I looked through my stamps and found one of a butterfly shaped in a rough square. I planned to stamp 4 squares, each in a different color and "piece" them together. After having decided on my direction, I started working on the elements.

Here's the finished card...

I started with white cardstock squares and spritzed each one with a different color of Smooch Spritz; which is a gorgeous shimmery ink that you can spray. It comes in 16 fabulous colors and is easy to use and covers very well. To use Smooch Spritz, just sweep your hand slightly while depressing the top. Use short quick spritzes for scattered dots of ink, or longer sweeping spritzes for full coverage. You can layer several coats to intensify the color, but I just used one coat in this project.

After the Smooch dried, I stamped and embossed the butterflies using Top Boss Tinted Embossing Pad and White Embossing Powder. I like using the tinted pad so I can see where I stamped! Top Boss Embossing Powder is nice and fine so you can really see the details in the stamp.

Here's a closeup of the stamped and embossed squares... 

Here is a list of the supplies you'll need as well as the directions to complete this project:

"Quilted" Butterfly Card

Skill Level: easy

SUPPLIES:

Clearsnap: Smooch Spritz: Pink Sprinkles, Sea Kiss, Gingersnap and Grape Burst, Top Boss: Tinted Embossing Padand Embossing Powder - White, ColorBox: Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan (full size or mini) and Lime Pastel (cat's eye)

American Art Stamp: Butterfly Square 2 X 2- cling mounted and Spring Words Set #2 

Bazzill: Tanner and Coconut Swirl cardstocks

Tools: heat gun, acrylic block, scissors, paper trimmer, dimensional foam squares, adhesive and Clearsnap's Color Catcher,

 DIRECTIONS:

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

2) Cut 4 - 3" X 3" squares of white cardstock. Place one square at a time  in the Color Catcher and spray each of the 4 squares with a different color of Smooch Spritz. Let squares dry completely before proceeding to the next step (otherwise the embossing powder will stick to the "Smooched" areas).

3) Working on one square at a time; ink butterfly stamp with Top Boss Embossing Pad and stamp and emboss with White Embossing Powder in the center of each square.

4) Trim each of the squares; cutting just outside the border.

5) Stamp "Spring has Sprung" with Chestnut Roan Fluid Chalk Ink on a scrap of white cardstock. Trim close to sentiment in a rough square. Ink edges with Lime Pastel Fluid Chalk Ink.

6) To assemble, place the 4 stamped and embossed squares so that the butterflies are all "flying" outward from the center of the card. Make sure they are evenly spaced and then adhere.

7) Use a dimensional square to adhere the sentiment to the center of the card.

I hope that you enjoyed this FIRST project, and that you will come back often to see what new ideas we have for you!

---tami