if you are looking for a last minute card idea for your dad, hubbie, son, etc…
head over to the ClearSnap Blog! i have posted several father’s day cards in the past few weeks, and i have another one that posted just a few minutes ago…
i’ve also started a card sketches series on the ClearSnap Blog; new sketches post on the 13th of each month. i started the series in may, so there are 2 sketches up so far:
and, if you happen to notice that the ClearSnap Blog looks different, that’s because it is! The ClearSnap Blog recently made the move from Blogger to WordPress! it still a work in progress, so improvements and NEW! stuff soon! but if you have the old blog bookmarked or added to your favorites, please be sure to change those to the NEW! blog addy: http://blog.clearsnap.com
join the ClearSnap creative team all weekend long as we hop and scrap and hop some more!
our designers are bringing you a bundle of fun and lots of inky techniques for your scrapbook pages!
just hop through and leave a comment on each post. each designer is giving away their own prize pack so be sure to visit every blog on the hop!
entries close on monday may 6, 2013 at 12:00am…
hi! welcome to my blog!
i have a layout to share with you that features LOTS, and LOTS of inks and more from ClearSnap as well as several techniques. my layout started with 1 sheet of white cardstock, scrap kraft cardstock, manila tags, raw chipboard pieces, and some ribbon, twine and bits from my stash.
my challenge to myself was to turn plain unadorned pieces and papers into a colorful, collaged, nature-themed layout.
here’s the finished layout…
the white cardstock background was transformed into a bright, blue “sky”, by lightly spritzing it with Sea Kiss Smooch Spritz at the upper left and lower right hand corners, then filling in with ColorBox Sprays! in Sky. the combo of the aqua toned spritz and blue spray makes a very pretty sky, plus you get just a touch of shimmer from the spritz…
next, i wanted to add some tone on tone images to make the background more interesting, so i used the Rollagraph and Jumbo Say What? Stamping Wheel along with ColorBox Stephanie Barnard Premium Dye Ink in Sky to add a very subtle script pattern
and Mermaid ColorBox Archival Dye Ink was used to stamp some aqua dragonflies …
then the leaf pattern was added using Mint ColorBox Pigment Ink, which was heat set…
and a distressed design was added at the right side of the page to balance the leaves using ColorBox Chalk Ink in Chestnut Roan. a handy tip here to avoid having sharp edges when stamping a design like this is to only partially ink the stamp. this is easy to do using the ColorBox Stylus & Tips tool…
the edges of the background page were inked using both Chestnut Roan and French Blue Chalk Inks.
with the background done, it was time to move onto embellishing! i started with the photos, they were matted in kraft cardstock and the edges were inked using French Blue Chalk Ink. next, they needed a background to “rest” on, so i took a piece of kraft cardstock, added a pattern using the Rollagraph and Jumbo Mixed Dot Design Wheel with Watermark Ink. the design was embossed using Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder, then when cooled, was sprayed lightly with ColorBox Sprays! in Artichoke…
the manila tags were spritzed using Sea Kiss Smooch Spritz, then when dry, were stamped using Chalk and Pigment Inks. using several types of inks in layers produces an interesting contrast. for this tag, the clock was stamped with Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink, the watch in Mint Pigment Ink and the sentiment using Iris Pigment Ink which was embossed using Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder. a good hint when layering inks like this is to heat set as you go – especially if you plan on embossing a layer, otherwise, the embossing powder will stick to any ink that is still wet…
the border under the photos was made using the Rollagraph and Standard Design Wheel in the Chinese Noodles Pattern. one of my favorite things to do with the Rollagraph is to roll multiple images with it, sometimes in different colors as was done here. the design was rolled once using ColorBox Premium Dye Ink in Sky, then again using ColorBox Archival Dye Ink in Moody Blue…
the raw chipboard leaves were first inked using Mint Pigment Ink, then after heat setting, the script design was added and embossed using the Jumbo Say What? Design Wheel, Patina Mix’d Media Inx and Top Boss Embossing Powder. a little distressing around the edges using Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink finishes them off…
some baker’s twine and a charm finish off the layout…
i used a LOT of different products and a LOT of different techniques on this layout, but don’t feel you have to do the same! pick and choose what you like best and what works for YOUR layout! but the next time you can’t find “that perfect paper” for your project, think about making it YOURSELF!
SUPPLIES:
ClearSnap:
Smooch Spritz: Sea Kiss
ColorBox Stephanie Barnard Dye Ink Sprays!: Sky and Artichoke
Color Catcher
ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan and French Blue
ColorBox Pigment Ink: Turtle, Iris and Mint
Donna Salazar Mix’d Media Inx: Patina
ColorBox Stephanie Barnard Premium Dye Inks: Sky and Blueberry
ColorBox Archival Dye Ink: Mermaid and Moody Blue
Watermark Ink
Top Boss Clear Embossing Powder
Rollagraph: Standard Handle, Jumbo Handle, Chinese Noodles Standard Design Wheel and Say What? and Mixed Dots Jumbo Design Wheels
ColorBox Stylus & Tips
Other:
Hampton Art: Time Pieces Clear Stamp Set and Weathered Background Wood Mount Stamp
Artemio: #10001140 Postcard Clear Stamp Set
Woodware: English Leaves
My Sentiments Exactly: Multi Collage and Schoolhouse Lower/Number Clear Stamp Sets
Bazzill: White and Kraft Cardstocks
Beacon: Zip Dry
The Twinery: Baker’s Twine
2 Small Manila Tags
Vintage Blue Seam Binding
Chipboard Leaves
Dragonfly Charm
Jump Ring
Small Safety Pin
Tools:
Trimmer
Scissors
Heat Gun
Jewelry Pliers
Double Sided Tape
i was the last stop on this HOP; but just in case you were visiting my blog by way other than the hop, you will want to start at the top of the list and work your way down so you can see ALL the terrific projects and ideas!
i hope you are in the mood for a halloween project…
i can’t believe halloween will be here in a week or so; it seems like i was just putting the finishing touches on my boys Halloween costumes, but that has been a WHOLE YEAR ago! time sure has a way of sneaking up… especially holidays. so if you are in need of a “little something” gift for a friend, co-worker or teacher, why not make this vintage-inspired treat can?
i collect vintage holiday décor; i just love the time-worn look of vintage pieces and really enjoy decorating for the holidays with my collection. so i REALLY like the ephemera sheets from HARLEE QUINNZ DESIGNS. they have several different themes, each with fabulous vintage images. i used one of the images on the halloween ephemera sheet as the central design element. then i paired her with some stamps and papers also by HARLEE QUINNZ DESIGNS to create my treat can…
if you would like to make your own can; here’s the supplies and basic directions:
SUPPLIES:
HARLEE QUINNZ DESIGNS: Halloween Ephemera Sheet, Butterfly Garden: Summers Garden, Sunlight Bower and Garden Light printed papers and Garden Journal Clear Stamp Set
Clearsnap: Top Boss: Tinted Embossing Pad and Gold Sparkle Embossing Powder, Smooch Accent Inks: Taffy, Grape Soda, Green Apple, Snickerdoodle and Gold Lame and ColorBox: Fluid Chalk Ink: Chestnut Roan
Other: True Value Hardware: Qt Paint Can, Prima: Flowers, Darice: Buttons, American Crafts: Thickers – Rockabye, EK Success: 3D dots – 1/16″, Making Memories: Word Stickers and October Afternoon: Letter Stickers
Directions:
1) Measure height and circumference of can and cut a piece {or pieces} of HARLEE QUINNZ Sunlight Bower printed paper to cover can.
2) Cut out the girl in the pumpkin costume from the ephemera sheet. Tint her using Smooch inks. Ink edges using brown ink.
3) Stamp oval journal block from HDQ Garden Journal set on HDQ Garden Light printed paper using tinted embossing pad. Sprinkle with gold embossing powder and heat set. Adhere to a scrap pieces of cardstock and then cut out; discard center section.
4) Adhere a piece of HDQ Summers Garden paper to center of stamped image from backside.
5) Cut strips of HDQ Summers Garden paper and use scissors to fringe one long edge; ink edges using brown ink. Then pleat and scrunch fringe, gluing it as you go to back of stamped image. Use fingers to bend and separate fringe.
6) Use 3D Dots to adhere Pumpkin Girl to center of stamped image.
7) Ink and adhere “pumpkin”, and “girl” stitckers below ephemera image.
8) Add flowers and buttons for centers at lower left.
9) Adhere “O Hallows Eve” using black sticker letters around upper left hand corner.
10) Adhere finished embellishment to the left front of can.
11) Adhere “TREATS” chipboard letters along the right side of embellishment.
12) Trace around can lid on HDQ Summers Garden printed paper. Fringe and ink edges, then adhere to top of lid. Use your fingers to bend and separate ends.
13) Add flowers and button centers to top of can to finish.
thanks for stopping in to see what i’ve been up to! i’d LOVE to see what YOU’VE been up to TOO! especially if you have some cute little critters in some costumes you’ve made or spruced up. or any halloween papercrafts that you’d like to share!
okay, here’s the last of them – for awhile at least!
i wanted to see if SMOOCH would work on acrylic, and it does – you just have to either be patient – or impatient! LOL! sound contradictory? it is a bit. if you are patient, you can paint SMOOCH on acrylic or glass and just set it aside to dry – for up to 2 days – depending on how thick you laid it on! if you are like me and are impatient, then you can take your chances with a heat gun. a heat gun definitely speeds up the process, but you have to be careful not to MELT your project! the main thing is to keep the gun at least 6 inches away from your acrylic, keep the gun moving, and use a heat and cool method. you can’t keep the heat gun on the piece constantly or it will melt. so you need to heat a little, then cool, then heat and cool, until the ink is dry or almost dry. you can tell you are getting somewhere when the ink starts to take on a matte appearance rather than a glossy one.
i wanted to try altering one of the ghost birds from heidi swapp. awhile back, i had tried embossing on ghost shapes, and it worked, but again, i had to be careful NOT to melt the little birdies, and had used the heat and cool method successfully to emboss patterns on them. so i started with that, i didn’t just want to try coloring the birds, i wanted to create a pattern to color first.
so… here’s what i did:
1) i first used an anti-static bag on the side of the acrylic i wanted to emboss (i embossed on the front, and inked on the back)
2) then i stamped my design – in this case a swirl pattern – using TOP BOSS tinted embossing stamp pad.
3) then i embossed it using TOP BOSS black embossing powder. be careful to follow the above mentioned heat gun “rules”. emboss one small section at a time, and don’t overheat or the acrylic will melt or your embossed design will melt and run!
4) when the piece had cooled, i flipped it over and filled in the designs on the back with SMOOCH. and of course, since i am IMPATIENT, i used a heat gun to speed up the drying process.
5) when cool, i adhered the pieces to my card. i used BEACON 3-in-1 dabbed in a few spots to adhere the blue birds, and 3D dots to adhere the yellow bird. these 2 adhesive types did not show through, you may have to experiment if you use different adhesives.
6) my letters started out white, i inked them red using COLORBOX warm red chalk ink, the applied the polka dots using a black Slick Writer.
7 1/2) i used tiny pearls from kaiser for the eyes. {8) always puts a smiley face on my instructions, so from now on, i think i’ll use 7 1/2!}
[rockyou id=136567000&w=426&h=320]
and i also promised a snippet of a peak of another project, i can’t show the whole thing though – at least not yet! it did involve inking on acrylic and yes, the acrylic is from PRIMA…
thanks to everyone who stopped in to take a look at these projects!
