Challenges Inspire Autumn Cards

Challenge One--Mail Art:

  
This past weekend was spent playing in the studio!  Late last week, Boo, of the Tennessee Stampers issued a challenge to make a card from something that came in the mail.  She hosted a similar swap earlier this year, and I began noticing the insides of envelopes.  Back when I taught iris folding classes, I discovered the craft began in Holland, and they utilized the insides of their business envelopes.  A talented Dutch lady, Hettie Sanders, shared some of these with me, along with some of her patterns.  Soon I was designing my own patterns from Sizzix dies.  But that is another subject.

I chose an envelope that came in the mail the day Boo issued the challenge.  The inside had printing which said "the future of awesome," so it was decided on as the focal point of the card.  I die cut two maple leaves from the envelope with the Sizzix Bigz Stampin' Up Autumn Accents die and stained them with various Ranger Distress Stains, including the new metallics.  Some regular Distress inks with the applicator tool were applied to the edges to make them pop.  They were mounted on two more maple leaves cut from the remains of the 12 x 12 sheet of double-sided cardstock, which became the base.  This was from a K & Company Tim Coffey tablet found at Michael's on sale this past weekend.  I also cut some acorns from the paper and stamped them with the matching stamp set from Stampin' Up named Wonderfall.  I played a lot with this stamp set over the weekend!  The sentiment on the outside of the card is from Destination Stickers and Stamps, Inc.

Challenge Two--Old or Unused Stamp into a RAK

 

Not knowing Boo had issued a Challenge to the group, I issued one of my own the same day.  My challenge was to dust off an old stamp you have never used or haven't used in a long time and make a card.  Then mail it to someone on the list you do not know as a random act of kindness, aka RAK.  I was hoping to make some of the quiet participants feel welcome to our fun Yahoo group that has been around a very long time.

Figuring out which unused stamp to use became clear when I was making Quirky Turkeys from last year's  project idea by Tim Holtz.  It is a Fine Line Classic turkey stamp from Inkadinkado.  I did the polished stone technique using Ranger's Alcohol Inks in all fall colors onto their glossy cardstock, but with a little twist.  I tried to paint with them--using the felt application tool and changing the felt when I moved from the red/brown/orange mixture for the turkey and pumpkin to the yellows for the wheat and to the blues for the sky.  I can see a future use for this when backgrounds are needed for detailed and scenic stamps.

I stamped the turkey with Memento Tuxedo Black, let it dry, and then hit it with the heat tool.  I was surprised, however, that the metallic mixatives I had put with the colors floated right to the top, obscuring the image slightly.  I had planned to accent some of the colors and define the image a little better with Copic alcohol markers, and I knew I needed to use Memento ink, since it works well with alcohol inks.  Anyway, I did my little accenting, which didn't show up enough to take the time for it.  Then I was unhappy with the obscured black, so I pulled out the old Stampamajig stamp positioner and re-stamped the image in Ranger Archival Black ink.  I was more satisfied with it after it dried.  I learned a couple of things with this technique:  

• Don't use metallic mixatives or any other opaque alcohol inks (like Snow Cap) with alcohol inks if you are going to heat set the image you stamp onto it.
• Do use Memento ink if you are going to add some details to your image, and then if you want a darker image, use a stamp positioner (or one of the old stamp repositioners which I have, but didn't think about using until I realized I needed to overstamp the inage) with Ranger Archival ink.  It will have to dry at least 20 minutes, and I would just set it aside for this instead of trying to hurry it with a heat gun.

• Do try making a background that will work with your stamp as a scene.  Try placing the desired colors so they will showcase your stamp.   

Challenge Three:  Make leaves for fall cards

This challenge was one I made for myself.  The new Sizzix Tim Holtz Texture Fades that coordinates with his Tattered Leaves die from last year arrived this weekend, so I challenged myself to make leaves.  I made some out of Kraft Core Core'dinations cardstock and sanded them.  Then I did Shelly Hickox's method of making leaves out of coffee filters and using the Ranger Distress Stains.  Since I already had them out, I thought it was a wonderful time to get inky!  I dug around in the bottom drawer until I found the box of rubber gloves I never use!  Glad I did use them this time, however.

I did notice the leaves I made had more than just the veins when embossed with the Sizzix Textured Leaves embossing folder as seen in Shelly's Fall Garland.  Upon inquiry to Tim, he said she did use a prototype that was changed for the market, and it only had the veins.  The one you can buy now is one that Tim designed with more spots and imperfections in addition to the veins, making it more "Tim Holtz."  They are deliciously "distressed" and full of texture!

Here is the card I wound up making to showcase the leaves.  I used a combination of the Core'dinations leaves and the coffee filter leaves placed on a tag that used the Ranger Distress stains again and edged in Seedless Preserves Distress ink with a blending tool.  I also added some acorns and some fern-looking greenery cut from another die.  

I did discover a fun thing when using the little acorns cut from a Sizzix Movers and Shapers set.  Taking a Square Lattice Textured Impressions embossing folder made by Sizzix for Stampin' Up, and one of the new Sizzix Tim Holtz Diffusers for embossing, I arranged the acorns around the oval so that the rounded body was inside the oval and the caps were outside it so it would emboss only the cap.  It worked pretty well, and when I do it again, I will bring in some repositionable tape to assist in keeping the acorns in the right place.

An even easier method is to emboss acorns cut from one tan color, cut off the tops and glue them to another acorn cut from a different color.  This works well if you don't have the diffuser set or if you just want to do them this way.  I also used Distress inks to shade the rounded area of the acorns.

The past two days have produced a few cards to send to family and friends.  Plus I learned a thing or two.  That is my goal each day.

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Pop 'n Cuts Fun!

Card Front

Inside

 The new Pop 'n Cuts system designed for Sizzix by Karen Burniston is awesome!  How can I ever make another card without an interactive element now?  My mind is full of possibilities using this system.  

For Halloween, I made a few cards to share with friends and family.  Here are a couple of samples of what can be done with Pop 'n Cuts.



An extra surprise occurs when the Sizzix Zig-Zag pop up die is used to add elements that pop up from behind the featured item mounted to the round label pop up.  The Zig-Zag is trimmed to fit behind the tombstone shown here.  The tombstone is made from the Sizzix Tim Holtz Cabinet die and mini Cabinet die trimmed on the sides.  Then tree branches are adhered to the Zig-Zag action.  They lie behind the tombstone, and pop up from behind it when the card is opened and the tombstone itself pops up. 

Another card featured Tim Holtz's Pumpkin Jack and branches cut from Tim's On The Edge Twigs die.  They resemble scary arms with bony fingers when they pop up from behind Jack! 

I can't wait to get back into the studio to make some cards for Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Pop 'n Cuts does the cutting and thinking for you, making it easy to put a smile on the face of lucky recipients of your interactive cards!
 

Inside of Pumpkin Jack showing branch "arms"

Front of Pumpkin Jack Pop up Card

Detail showing zig-zag die trimmed and mounted to platform

See the photo to the right showing the Zig-Zag pop up die trimmed way down so it fits the top of the round label platform.  The black "twiggy arms" are mounted to the front of the action areas on the Zig-Zag pop up.

Vintage School Tip-In for Altered Swap

Another contribution to the Altered Book Tip-In Swap will leave my house on Tuesday.  I am enjoying this swap so much, I want to share it with others.  Our Tennessee Stampers' Yahoo Group will be starting a swap just like this one in January, so this is a little food for the swappers.  We all benefit from seeing examples of the project, so here is some more incentive for those of you hesitating to come on board with this fun swap.  This two-page spread is my part in the Inkyrangers Yahoo Group tip-in swap.  Particularly enjoyable is the ease in mailing each page, instead of packaging up a book and worrying that it will arrive without too much stress on the binding.  By controlling how a tip-in is installed in your own book, it will be in better shape at the end of the swap. 

My assigned person's theme this month is Vintage or Shabby Chic.  Having done an altered book a couple of months ago that had the theme of Good Ol' School Days, I had lots of supplies that made this a perfect addition to a Vintage/Shabby Chic altered book.    Up until this month, we have done regular tip-ins with decoration on both front and back of the page.  This month we had a choice. She chose to have a two-page spread this month. 

I chose a sheet of dictionary printed cardstock from my old stash of collage papers.  Distress Inks in Tea Dye and Vintage Photo were rubbed all around the edges and over much of the cream colored background paper.  Distress Stain in Tea Dye was added to the edges to give it an old stained look.  Torn papers from another collage collection were adhered to various areas on the spread after distressing the edges of each torn area. Stamps from Oxford Impressions "My Story" collection (now retired) were added to the page, and Rusty Hinge Distress Stain was rubbed haphazardly over one image in the center (Public School), and Scattered Straw Distress Stain was applied to the face of the boy.  Stormy Sky was used on his clothing.  I love the quick application from the Distress Stains.  Then my favorite in that collection, Picket Fence, was rubbed over several areas, toning down some of the vibrancy in several areas. 

And now, the most fun part for me is pulling out my dies and constructing some dimensional objects on the page.  The two string-closed envelopes are made from Tim Holtz's new Sizzix Movers and Shapers L Die Pocket Envelope.  They are cut from Kraft cardstock, perfect for this application, and distressed with the same ink colors used on the background plus Walnut Stain Distress ink.  From my collage stash, I pulled some little tag board printed frames and matching tag in a ruler theme.  Design Originals made these several years ago.   The tag is stapled to the top of the page with Tim Holtz's Tiny Attacher, and the tag swings freely like a bookmark.  The frames decorate the front of the string-tie envelopes.  The apple basket and apple are from my button stash.  The little stamp shapes inside the frames are cut from a vintage school collection of papers by Graphic 45.  I filled in those frames with a coat of Ranger's Glossy Accents.

Detail--Little booklets inside string envelopes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always like to include a little "surprise" in altered books--a little reward for opening something that invites the viewer to explore.  Inside each of these envelopes are little booklets made from more of the Graphic 45 double-sided cardstock collection.  The edges of these were distressed as well.  The fun comes when each is opened.

Booklets Open

The booklet inside the envelope with A is for Apple on it contains an apple that is made with Inky Antics Honeypop paper and a Sizzix Originals apple die.  More items cut from the Graphic 45 collection are added to the inside.  The other booklet has another little booklet made from cardstock and two transparencies, one is of an old school book and the inside is a grading key for a math test.  The photo is a transparency of a class (or it could be the entire school).  Other elements inside this little booklet are from the same Graphic 45 collection.  I still have lots left over for scrapbooking school pages when my toddler granddaughters are old enough to go to school.

One more thing I did to this page:  Judikins' Paper Glaze is my "go-to" finish on lots of my work now.  I love the way it brings out the colors in stamped and colored images.  It adds a subtle sheen and protects the paper from fading, etc.  If I could only figure out how get it out of the jar and onto the projects without getting it under my fingernails, I would be a happy paper crafter!  (I guess I COULD use something and dip it out, but it takes a small amount, so just dipping my finger into the jar is enough for most cards.)  After rubbing it into the paper, I take a soft paper towel and rub off the excess, buffing it well.

Christmas Tip-In for Altered Books

After posting photos in the album of a tip-in swap on the Inkyrangers Yahoogroup web site, someone said I needed to do a tutorial on how I did it.  So I told them I would just blog about it.  Here are the photos of the front and back of the tip-in page.  The theme of the person's book is "Christmas," and who doesn't love to do Christmas projects?

 FRONT:  The house is mounted on a folded piece of material that is used to cover books, so it is pretty flexible and tough.  Besides, it was a good blue for a winter sky!  I used a piece of pale gray cardstock to make the house.  A stone texture template from Fiskars run through the Sizzix Tim Holtz Inspired Vagabond with the appropriate "sandwich" was used to fabricate the "stone," and then, using several neutrals and browns of Ranger Distress inks and applicators, the various shades were rubbed lightly over the raised stone areas to give it the look of real stone.

The gable is dark gray cardstock, scored every half inch on one side, and then turned over and scored an eighth of an inch away to give it a look of boards.  The same thing is done to the light grey fascia board beneath the gable.  The lights are Jolee's.  The window was the fun part.  My favorite dies are the ones from Poppystamps--the doors and windows and accessories are fantastic!  This project uses Poppystamps' Grand Madison window and shutters and a piece of acetate cut from packaging for the window pane.  Real lace is sandwiched between the window pane and the view into the room beyond.  I stamped a fantastic decorated Christmas tree from an old retired Stampin' Up! set with Ranger Archival ink in Library Green on Ranger's Specialty Stamping Paper. It was colored with Distress Markers and some Copic Spica glitter pens and cut out.  The walls in the room are Distress inks rubbed into this wonderful paper.  I love how smoothly it goes onto the Specialty Stamping Paper.  The "snow" is cut from white cardstock with a Sizzix Decorative Strip die (now retired) that yields wavy pieces, and glued them onto the paper to make a snowy scene.  Memory Box's Country Landscape die was perfect for the little trees here on the front and the trees and houses seen through the window from inside the house, which is on the backside of this page.  I also used Distress Stickles in Picket Fence to add a little snow-like quality to the snow and the edge of the roof.  Glossy accents were perfect to make some icicles at the corner of the house.  Some of the new dry Stickles glitter in clear rock candy was also used on top of some of the glossy accents.  For a vintage look, all edges of both pages and the woodwork areas were lightly distressed on the edges with Tea Dye Distress Ink.

BACK:  The back side of the tip-in page is naturally the scene from inside the house.  The same Grand Madison window die cut is used with another piece of acetate for the pane.  The same lace is anchored with XPressIt tape and Making Memories decorative brads.  Be sure to put your brads in place BEFORE gluing the folded background sheet together!  Extra strong mounting tape is best to adhere the folded tip-in page together.  Glue would have caused the page to dry warped unless it was dried under weight, and with the 3-D elements, that wouldn't have been very successful.  Provocraft's Terrifically Tacky Tape in the 1 1/16" size was used along all edges and in the middle.  The inside wall is another piece of the Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper, and Distress inks.  I stamped and colored another Christmas tree like the one showing through the window, and used pop dots to elevate it from the page for dimension.  The "rug" is a scrap of Christmas paper punched with a large round punch and trimmed.  The "woodwork" is light gray cardstock cut and layered to look like decorative trim.  The floor and wallpaper above and below the windowed wall were papers from my scrap drawer.  The antique brass plaque above the window is from Making Memories. The scene through the window uses the same technique as the one on the front of the tip-in.  Tip-in swaps are a wonderful way to do an altered book!  The book is less abused when it stays home and the pages come to it instead!  I will do more of these.

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Lovin' La Blanche!

This month I have been playing with the wonderful La Blanche Silicon stamps and a couple of new papers plus one I have been using for a while.  With arthritis creeping into my hands, these stamps allow a wonderful impression without much pressure.  They are lightweight, so I tend to drop them less onto unstamped (or already stamped) work.  I hate having fumble fingers!  The image above is stamped onto the new Ranger Inkssentials Specialty Stamping Paper.  I find the coating wonderful for these highly detailed stamps.  Ranger's new Distress Ink Markers work perfectly on this coated paper.  I have also experimented with Copic Markers on this surface, and I find the surface to be a little too slick for them.  They do not absorb into the surface, but seem to float on top instead.  This cardstock is quite slick, and I found that by applying JudiKins MicroGlaze over the surface, it provides protection for the piece, while giving it a very nice sheen.

The next La Blanche stamped image was stamped on one of my favorite surfaces to use with Copic Markers--X-Press It Blending Card.  It is coated just enough to use with these fabulous stamps and absorbent enough to use with Copics.  This particular image was colored with Copics.  One thing to know is do not over-ink these stamps.  If the pad is scrubbed over the design, it will fill in all the little wonderful details of the stamp.  So just apply the ink with a tap-tap-tap.  

Another great discovery about these stamps is do not over think coloring them.  The stamps are so detailed that they automatically do the shading!  Use darker colors where the shading is dark, and the lighter, brighter colors where there is very little shading.

Remember the rule of thumb for coloring inked images:  to color in with Distress Inks or water-based media, stamp with one of the permanent or solvent-based inks such as Ranger's Archival Ink or VersaFine by Tsukineko.  To color an image with Copic or other solvent-based media, use a dye ink such as the preferred Memento Ink by Tsukineko.

This final stamped image of the owl and the clock was applied to the third type of paper, LaBlanche Specialty Stamping Paper.  This paper was manufactured for use with LaBlanche stamps.  It is an un-coated paper, but it is as smooth as the Ranger's Inssentials Surfaces Specialty Stamping Paper.  The owl and clock stamp was colored with Distress Inks and the Ranger Ink Blending Tool.  I then spritzed the card front with water and allowed it to work before blotting with a paper towel.  I used a mister and also Tim Holtz's "spritz and flick" technique, which gives bigger drops of water and a more dramatic result.  {To do this, spritz water onto your fingers and flick the water onto the paper.}  I was not satisfied with the owl done in black, so I stamped him again with brown ink and used the Distress Markers to add a little more color.  He was then cut out and popped up, offset just a little so the black image underneath looks like his shadow is cast behind him on the clock.

LaBlanche has produced some unusual combinations with their images, and they stamp very well on these three papers.  Always use a very smooth or coated paper for these stamps.  I tried using them with standard porous cardstock, and the image appears a little fuzzy and irregular for my purposes.  The LaBlanche stamps stamped well on all three of the papers discussed here.  I don't favor one over the other.  

 If you want only black (or another color) and white images without coloring, glossy cardstock is another option.  Beware that to use glossy cardstock with these images, you will need a stamp pad that is nearly dry.  Juicy pads will just encourage "bubbles" and open spots on your stamped image and will fill in all the nice details with ink!  I like to keep a Ranger Archival black pad that is quite dry for stamping on glossy cardstock with stamps that are very detailed, such as the LaBlanche stamps and others with photographic-style images, such as the fine stamps from Oxford Impressions.  The polished stone technique for making colored backgrounds using alcohol inks like the Tim Holtz Ranger Alcohol Inks, will work on glossy cardstock. Then overstamp them with a dye-based ink and the LaBlanche stamps if color is wanted for an image on glossy paper.