Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Monochromatic Father's Day Card


Simon Says Stamps Monday Challenge is Monochrome and their Wednesday Challenge which will be ending in a few hours is Anything Goes featuring Technique Tuesday. When Archiver's was still open, I bought stamps by TT because of Ali Edwards. I rarely use their stamps nowadays with all the stamp companies coming out with their releases. So with both challenges in mind, I challenged myself to create one card. I didn't have a special occasion in mind when I was creating this card but it eventually turn out to become a Father's Day card which is very timely.

I am using the TT Ali Edwards All My Heart stamp set. At first, I was planning to stamp all the squared sentiments to create the background but it didn't have the same sizes. The clear stamps kept sticking together making it hard to lay out the stamps. I just picked one stamp and repeatedly stamp this on Strathmore Bristol paper using the Misti tool. The paper is cut at 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. I prepared the surface with an anti-static tool before I stamped the sentiment. I used Versafine Onyx Black for ink and embossed this using clear powder.


After the panel is filled, I blended various shades of grey inside the squares. I used a sponge dauber to do the job. I am not really being careful blending it. I would rather achieve different shades and am not particular if I go out of the lines. I used 5 shades of gray from 3 different companies (Close To My Heart, Hero Arts and Memento.) I applied white Wink of Stella to the spaces in between the squares. I don't think it is noticeable but I am having a hard time appreciating the effect of this particular Wink of Stella anyway.


I die cut a window on this panel using SSS This Is The Life Frames Cut die. I positioned the window slightly to the lower left of the panel. I also cut a black cardstock using this die. This metal die cuts 2 pieces, an outline piece and a solid piece. I used the black outline as an accent to the window.

For the sentiment, I die cut a dark gray and a white cardstock using the TT Say It Happy DIY Steel die. I stamped the rest of the sentiment from the TT Say It Happy stamp set on a black cardstock strip using Versamark ink. I embossed this using WOW! Silver Pearl Embossing powder.

I adhered a light gray cardstock to the back of the window panel. I adhered the black outline to the window. I adhered the gray happy sentiment on top of the white sentiment slightly off setting this to create a shadow effect. I adhered this to the window area and adhered the sentiment strip on the bottom. I ended with an empty space on the right upper corner of the window. To fill this, I adhered some sequences. For the final touch, I applied clear Wink of Stella to the die cut sentiment. I adhered this panel to a top folding A2 card.

Thanks for viewing my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

I am submitting this creation to:



Friday, May 27, 2016

Rainbow Watercolored Flower Card


I got the motivation to create this card from this month's Paper Smooches challenge which is Rainbows. I got the inspiration from a photo of a rainbow colored rose after I googled rainbow flowers.


I started my card with die cutting flowers using the flower die from Paper Smooches Pocket die. I adhered a fun foam onto a Stick-It, then die cut this with the flower die. After I die cut several flowers, I knew I was planning to have a white cardstock adhered to the fun foam, too. Oh, well. We will just see how this goes since I don't want to waste the die cuts. After taking the release paper off, I dipped the fun foam flower die cut in an Elizabeth Crafts Silk Microfine Glitter in Warm Diamond. I was curious about this shade since I have used the Cool Diamond before. You cannot see the difference between the Warm and Cool Diamonds by only visually looking at both powders. It is when you apply the glitter to your project that you will notice a tint of gold with this glitter shade. Cool, right?

Anyway, after shaking off the excess glitter, I burnish the glitter to the die cut by rubbing the flower with my finger. I place a paper on top of the flower. Since this is an intricate die cut,  I didn't want to break the petals by directly rubbing it.

I also die cut the circles included in the PS Pocket die using the excess fun foam. I die cut white glitter paper and different colored cardstocks with these circle dies, too. I kept this aside to work on the background piece.

I cut a watercolor paper at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I drew a circle at the center to where I plan to have the flowers. I traced lightly with a pencil the negative cut of the flower from the fun foam piece. I watercolored each petal using different colors from the rainbow. I used Kuretake Gansai Tambi watercolor. I made sure that the colors are heavily pigmented, not adding too much water to make the color vibrant. I heat set in between colors to avoid color blending.  Once this has dried, I erased the pencil marks. If you smeared a paint with your eraser, just apply clean water to this and dab it off with a clean paper towel or rag. This should lighten if not totally removed.

I adhered the fun foam flowers to the watercolored petals making sure they are aligned. I used Ranger Multi Matte Medium to adhere the flowers. To emphasize this circular area of the card, I embossed a circle using the largest circle from the Simon Says Stamped Stitched Circle die. This is where you use a silicone mat underneath your card to prevent the die from cutting the paper through. You just have to test your machine on how much you need as shims to create the impression without  jamming your die cut machine.

Don't worry. The flowers are still intact after I ran it through the die cut machine. It flattened at first but got back in shape afterwards. To add more detail to the card, I used a Darice Checkerboard Embossing Folder to emboss the background but I used a handmade embossing diffuser to prevent  embossing the circle area with the flowers. I got the idea of the handmade diffuser from Tim Holtz Diffuser. I have the first set but the circle on the set is smaller than the circle I needed to diffuse so I stacked some cardboards and cut a circle on the middle. I think diffusers are easy to create now with all the shaped dies in the market.



I could have left the flowers as is since the blending of colors at the center of the flowers looks cool, too. But I decided to embellish the flowers by using the circles I cut with the excess fun foam. I adhered this to the center of the flowers. I adhered the glittered circles to this using Ranger MMM. I adhered the colored circles on the top. I applied clear Wink of Stella to these colored circles. then Glossy Accents.


For sentiment, I used a sentiment that I can curve. I used the sentiment from PS Chit Chat. I curved the sentiment by using a circle die as a guide to curve the sentiment. I curved this on top of a plastic film to stabilize the sentiment, then picked it up with an acrylic block. I stamped the sentiment on vellum using WOW! Embossing Powder in White Pearl. I cut the vellum using circle dies to maintain the curve. I adhered this to the bottom right of the flower circle.

Thanks for viewing my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Aquarium Diorama Card



My second son wishes to have a catfish for his birthday which we don't have space for in our house. This card, even though it is a few days late for his birthday, is made with him in mind.

I created a diorama card before for my sons' teachers. For this card, I made it slightly smaller than a regular A2 card. The front dimension is 4 1/2" x 3 1/4" which is the size of the second rectangle of the Simon Says Stamp Stiched Rectangles Die.

There are 4 layers to create this diorama. The front and back panels are sized at 5 1/4 x 3 1/4". The inner panels are sized at 4 3/4" x 3 1/4". The scores for the longer panels are different. One is scored @ 3/4", then 5". The other long panel is scored at 1/4", then 4 3/4". The shorter panels are scored @ 1/4" and 4 1/2". One panel has its folds backward while the other is folded towards the front.

I used the Misti Tool to stamp the aquarium from the Lawn Fawn Fintastic Friends to each panel, making sure that the scores are aligned. I gave particular attention on the impressions made on the longer panels. Using the coordinating die, I cut out the aquarium from the shorter panels.

I stamped the aquarium critters and images on Neenah Solar White. Using the coordinating die, I cut each image before coloring each with Copics. I cut more than I used in the aquarium but that's okay. I'd rather have extras which I can use on another project. Jennifer McGuire has an excellent video on how to stamp and die cut multiples (http://www.jennifermcguireink.com/2016/05/multiple.html.)  This is very helpful for those who are trying to save time. I used my scraps for this project and I am also rather thrifty with my supplies that's why I used the traditional way of laying each die on every stamped image. Since I stamped multiples, I was able to die cut several images with one crank through the Sizzix.

I created a mask to color the aquarium image on the back panel. I used Post-It notes and used second generation stamping to stamp the aquarium on the Post-It note. I buffed the image with a rag to take off the excess ink. I usually contaminate my image and my sponge dauber with the ink I used on the mask. It worked the first time but not on the front aquarium. Maybe I didn't buff the Post-It note long enough.

I fuzzy cut the image on the Post-It note. I cut the image on the line itself for total ink coverage when blending. For the water, I used Tim Holtz Peacock Feathers and Tumbled Glass. Since this inks take a while to dry, before I took off the mask, I pounced some blue Perfect Pearl on the blended area. I used TH Antique Linen for the sand. I colored the aquarium stand with Copic markers.

For the front panel, I used a craft knife to create the window. Cut the image on the line itself. Run a black marker around the window to make it look finished. I covered the front panel with patterned paper from LF Perfectly Plaid. I die cut a rectangle using the SSS die I used earlier. With the use of the short panel as a guide, I die cut the aquarium.


For the middle panels, I free hand cut a slope using Kraft paper. I adhered this to the back of the window. I poured TH Antique Linen Glitter to the sand. I used Ranger Glossy Accent to adhere the glitter. I brushed off any excess. I set this aside to dry.


I adhered an acetate to the back of the front panel. I cut long strips of acetate to which I adhered some of the stamped images so it appears like it is floating inside the diorama. After the glitter has set, it is time to embellish the aquarium. I think this is the hardest among the steps, given such a small space to work with. I applied clear Wink of Stella to some of the images.

I used a thin double sided tape to adhere the layers, sticking the back folded short panel to the back panel. And, sticking the other short panel to the front. Afterwhich, I connected the two long panels.

For the sentiment, I stamped this on white cardstock using Hero Arts Ombre Ink. I cut this into a strip and used Avery Elle-ments Custom Panel to cut the edges. I adhered this to the front using dimensional tape. I also embellished the front with another image from the LF stamp set.


Thanks for viewing my blog.

Maria Giselle B.

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Monday, May 16, 2016

Fuzzy Cut Opening Floral Card

 

There are two things that challenged me to create this card. First, I was asked by my co-worker to create a Thank You card for her. Second, I wanted to participate in Altenew's May Challenge. I got the inspiration from a card made my Joni Nina Andaya (http://stampawaywithme.blogspot.com/2016/04/beautiful-bouquet-dahlia-shaker-card.html.) 

To create the background, I positioned the flowers from the set at the edges of a watercolor panel cut at 6" x 4 1/4". I used the Misti Tool just in case I don't get a perfect impression the first time. I applied an anti-static tool before stamping the flowers with Versamark ink. I heat embossed this using Ranger Copper embossing powder. I repeatedly did this until the edges are covered with flowers. I later on trimmed this to 5 1/2" x 4 1/4".

To create the center window, I used a craft knife to create an 'X' then use my scissors to cut around the inner edge, leaving a small white border. I colored the flowers and the background using Akashiya Sai Watercolor brush pens and Zig Clean Color Real brush pens. I like the bold colors these pens create. How about you?

For the centerpiece that will occupy the window, I stamped the sentiment using Winnie & Walter The Big, the Bold and You stamp set on yellow vellum. I used a Simon Says Stamp Blue Violet dye ink. Since stamping on vellum takes a while to dry, I embossed the sentiment using a clear powder. To add more detail to this vellum panel, I stamped the butterflies from the Altenew stamp set on the back of the vellum to create a muted effect.

I could have stopped here but I didn't. I created a plaid background as a background to the vellum. I don't have a thick stripe stamp, and I wish I did. To create one, I stretched one of my block sentiment stamps by using the reverse side of it. I repeatedly stamp this diagonally to create the plaid look. I used SSS Orange Peel dye ink. I initially tried this with SSS Sunshine dye ink but the effect through the vellum wasn't the same as the effect of the Orange Peel.


I adhered the vellum on the back of the windowed panel, making sure the sentiment is centered. I then adhered the plaid background to the back of the vellum. I applied this panel to a white note card.

Thanks for viewing my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B. 

I am submitting this creation to:



Thursday, May 12, 2016

Fishing Masculine Birthday Card


My husband enjoys fishing, and his birthday is coming soon. Newton's Nook Blog is having a challenge, and I love challenges. I only own one NN stamp set, Campfire Tails, but what great coincidence! It has a bear stamp carrying a fishing pole.

With the help of Cricut Design Space, I created the elements of the card based on the sketch. I cut a Fish Trophy from Cricut Outdoor Man cartridge, but I only used the base layer. I sized it to fit the bear. This was cut on a Canson Watercolor Paper.

I cut the waves from Cricut Going Places cartridge. I cut the top layer and used the Contour feature to cut a matching solid layer. I cut the top layer using a blue cardstock and cut the solid layer using a blue vellum. I switched mats when I cut the vellum. The cut was impressive. The only complain I have is that the vellum curled as I was peeling it off the mat which was fixed by adhering it to the cardstock.


I stamped the bear to the trophy cut-out using Ranger Archival ink. I used the Misti Tool since the texture of the watercolor paper does not allow one-time smooth stamping. The Misti Tool allows you to re-stamp with the assurance of precise placement. I watercolored the bear using Gansai Tambi Watercolor. I had to mix colors on a palette to create custom colors. I painted the bear's background with watercolor as well. I inked the edges using Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress ink. I stamped the sentiment on top of the bear using Versafine Onyx Black.


I stamped fish images on watercolor paper using the Lawn Fawn Fintatstic Fish stamp set. I die cut this using the coordinating metal die. Lawn Fawn images are cut with a white border around it. I do plan to adhere the fish behind the vellum. The white border might not matter but to hide the white border, I painted the border with blue to have the fish blend with the blue vellum. I also applied clear Wink of Stella to the fish.

I chose an old Basic Grey patterned paper for the background and cut this at 5 1/2" x 4". To add more texture, I used Wendy Vecchi Translucent Embossing paste on a Wendy Vecchi Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend stencil. I set this aside to dry. I inked the edges with TH Walnut Stain Distress ink.


I stamped the hook from the NN stamp on Neenah Solar White cardstock. I embossed it with Hero Arts Silver embossing powder. I colored in the hook using a silver gel pen. I fuzzy cut the hook. I stamped two of this and I am sure glad I did. I made the trophy cut-out into a tag. I punched a hole on the top but the hook was too short for the space between hole and the edge. I cut off the eye part of the hook that's showing up front. Then, I cut the sharp edge of the other hook and adhered it to the back of the tag, positioning it so that it seems like it is long enough. Nice illusion, right? I poked a hole on the eye using a sewing needle, through which I threaded a silver thread.

I adhered the fish first making sure they can be seen through the vellum. I adhered the waves next. I applied clear Wink of Stella to the vellum for added shimmer. I adhered the trophy tag using adhesive foam. I taped the end of the thread to the back of the background paper. I matted this with a Bazzill Hot Fudge cardstock. I adhered this to a white note card.

I rarely stamp sentiments inside a card but I combined two stamp sets to create this customized sentiment which matches the theme of the card. I used LF Fintastic Friends, Milo's ABC and Party Animal.


Thanks for viewing my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Mother's Day Shaped Shaker Card


Happy Mother's Day to all! I made this cute shaped shaker card that will hopefully make you smile. With the help of the Cricut Explore, I cut this scalloped circle @ 3.5". This is from the Cricut Mini Monogram cartridge. It is a layered cut which can also be turned into a shaker card but for now, I just used the solid scalloped circle.  I cut this in a white cardstock and an old Lawn Fawn patterned paper.

I am using the adorable Lawn Fawn Mama and Me stamp set. I have other plans for this project but my previous attempts didn't work out. I wanted to foil the background with flowers from the stamp set. I stamped the flowers with Versamark ink and that didn't turn out well. I then tried Ranger Sticky Powder before foiling and it was also a fail. I still am finding my connection with my Minc machine. So, I changed my plan and moved on to something else. It still turned out pretty, right?

I stamped the tree stump on the white scalloped circle usng CTMH Cocoa. I used the Misti to stamp the tree stump since I will be making multiples of this project. I also created a mask using Inkadinkado Masking paper. I stamped the stump using Hero Arts black dye ink, then fuzzy cut it. When I was blending around the stump, I noticed that the black ink was bleeding to my sponge dauber and eventually, to the background. I created another mask, this time using Ranger Archival ink but it still bled onto the background piece. As last resort to mask the stump, I cut a piece of the masking paper with the failed stamped mask as a guide. I'll try Stazon next time.

I blended ink pad colors on the white scalloped circle using dye inks. I got the color inspiration from a card made by Kristina Werner using the same stamp set (http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/?p=15686). I don't have the exact Tim Holtz Distress ink pads she used. I used Hero Arts Soft Vanilla, Simon Says Stamp Cotton Candy, and Hero Arts Soft Lilac Dye inks to mimic the colors she used.

I stamped the owls on Neenah Solar White cardstock using CTMH Cocoa. I first stamped this image on Bazzill cardstock using the same ink. The dye ink bled when I colored it with Copics. Gotta stick with Neenah when it comes to Copic coloring. I fuzzy cut the image and ran a black marker along the sides for a finished look. I adhered this over the tree stump.


I stamped more elements on the ink blended white scalloped circle. I heat embossed a heart from the same stamp set to fill in the heart of the tree stump. I embossed this with Ranger Red Tinsel powder. Another option for this is to fill in the heart with red Stickles if you have enough time to let it dry. I did not. I also stamped a sentiment on the top. I curved the sentiment stamp using a circle metal die as a guide. I stamped this sentiment using Versafine Onyx Black ink and heat embossed it in clear powder.

To create the window, I used the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles to cut a circle window on the scalloped patterned paper. I cut a slightly larger acetate circle using an MFT Circle STAX die. I adhered this to the back side of the window using liquid glue. I applied an acrylix block as a weight while this dries off. I cut short, thin adhesive foam and adhered this to the blended ink scalloped circle, close to the scallops to make a well for the shakers. I brushed the Anti-static tool on the inner sides of the foam tape. After I took the release paper from the foam tape, I poured in some SSS Flower sequins and Martha Stewart Iridescent Hearts and Starts Glitter, then adhered the window on top of it, making sure the scallops matched.


Thanks for visiting my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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Thursday, May 5, 2016

Paper Poppy Floral Pin

 

It's band concert season in my sons' school. I am either a chronic procrastinator or I am just absorbed by my hectic schedule that I always create this at the last minute. Really, on the last minute! Last year, I was so on the last minute, that I gave the band teacher her pin flower minutes before the concert, while she is trying to organize 3 band groups. She wasn't able to wear it during the performance because of how hectic it was. I didn't learn from last winter's concert. In fact, I was having second thoughts of making one but big time thanks to Cricut Design Space and Cricut Explore, everything went rather quick. This time, we were able to hand it to her personally hours before the concert. I saw her wearing it but was unable to take a photo of it being worn which is another story of my life but at least, I made it this time.

The Cricut Design Space has ready to make projects which includes the cuts and instructions. You can actually customize it by size or elements but I decided not to.


Isn't the baby with the poppy cute? This is made with felt. I have felt on hand but I don't have the deep cut blade to cut the poppy on felt. I used a purple carstock for the poppy instead. I inked the edges of the flower with Tim Holtz Distress ink in Dusty Concord. I also inked the leaves with Tim Holtz Distress ink in Peeled Paint and Mowed Lawn. I curled the flower and leaves using a stylus, making marks on the leaves, sort of veins. 

I used a glue gun to attach the layers on top of the other. I am no expert when using the glue gun. I seem to end up with a messy string of glue or blob of glue on my project. I changed how the leaves are laid out on the project inspiration.

For the past concerts, I always attach a stem to the flower to make it into a flower corsage. For this project, I decided to hot glue a safety pin. The pin came off the flower as soon as the glue dried. To keep the pin secured, I applied a piece of green washi tape on top of the glue, while it is still hot. 


Thanks for viewing my blog. Have a brilliant day!

Maria Giselle B.

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