Thursday, September 3, 2015

Cards featuring Rare Oddities by Graphic 45

I really enjoyed creating these cards. The ideas flowed freely! I will be teaching these in Woodstock and at Stamp Scrap n More in Mundelien this September.

You probably can't tell, but there is a transparent front to this card that lets the floral paper below show thru.  I used a witch hat die cut from QuicKutz in black glitter paper, and a die cut from Tim Holtz's Alterations line (the witch on a broomstick).  I just cut the broomstick apart from the witch. I used chipboard to cut just the broom bottom. Then I sprayed it with Color Bloom Spray from Prima (empress gold). I wrapped some string around the top and attached it to the broomstick

On this card I used black chipboard to cut the cat, and glossy accented it with a thin coat for some shine.The web is from Tim Holtz's Alterations line, the spider QuicKutz.
This is my favorite of these cards. I used white acrylic paint with a brayer on a skeleton stamp from Tim Holtz, stamping onto cream cardstock. Which after dried I covered with walnut stsin distress ink. The darker you ink the brighter the skeleton will appear. The frog die cut is from QuicKutz, the corner from a Sizzix die.
I used a frame die from Spellbinders on this card. Once a cut the frame, I ran it thru my Vagabond with the silicone pad and the impressions plate to emboss it. While the cut was still in the die, I rubbed some inka gold from Viva Decor onto the exposed parts. This highlights the embossing. The bats are from a Sizzix strip die. The paisley pieces are from QuicKutz. I used brass studs in the corners of the cut out card.

Next time I'll show you the beautiful book I created with this paper line.
Until then thank you for looking!

Potions Book with Graphic 45 "Rare Oddities"

Im so pleased with how this book turned out! As soon as I saw this paper line I had the shaker box idea. I wanted a book to feel good in my hand, and have the look of something you would use everyday like a bible. So the cover is a one piece construction of thin chipboard that is scored and folded. I then covered it with black cardstock, and canvas on the outside like a real hardcover book. The insides are pages glued together with paper hinges. That is strips of cardstock scored and folded and the pages glued to them. My hinges had a 1/4" gap on two scores, creating room for the thick shaker boxes. Once the pages are glued together the end pages are glued to the cover creating the book.
This is the first of three shaker boxes, and as the others, it sits besides a tag pocket. I accented the book with some die cuts. The spiderweb is from Tim Holtz's Alterations line. As is the spider. The top window of the shaker box has skull and crossbones from one of Tim's strip dies. The bottom window contains small shells.


Vintage Cards



These are the cards I created with the "Junke Gypsy" line from Marion Smith Designs. I played with feathers and a stick from my front yard to give a woodsy feel to the egg card. On the roses perfume card I added a vintage button a paper flower to some cheesecloth. I felt it gave a romantic feel to the card. My favorite card was the Happy Birthday card, where I die cut the hot balloon in several different papers with a die from Spellbinders. Then layered them together after sanding and inking. I also used Tim Holtz Alteration thinlit die for the harlequin background, and a QuicKutz starburst to mat the happy birthday. It's just a fun card. The butterfly card I kept simple. I added some basic elements to keep the botanical feel. I used dies from Sizzix Tim Holtz Alteration line, and burlap ribbon with a vintage button.
Enjoy!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

My long absence came after a severe back injury. I was sewing up a storm after the holidays, and needed something in a tote, but when I lifted to put the tote back I forgot to bend my knees. Four days later my lower back went into spasms and those lasted about 24 hours. After sessions of acupuncture and weeks of physical therapy I was able to walk without a cane. Pulling out my crafting supplies I had put away for the holidays was not an option. So finally I am getting back to it.

This album is done with the new collection "Junke Gypsy" from Marion Smith Designs. I love the eclectic designs and the colors of this paper line. I found it very inspirational. I really needed to find some mojo to get me going again.

The size of this book is 8 1/2 by 8 1/2. I used some vinyl material over the binding. Securing it down with Fabri-tac. Then I went through my stash to find elements I felt were eclectic as the papers.



 I added flip outs and pockets for all the beautiful cut outs that this paper line had. Got to love the hot air balloons. The die cut is a Spellbinders die. The Banner on the left page is Tim Holtz on the edge banner die where I added a border to embellish it.
 I added these flips so I could include the envelope that was a cut out from the paper line. In order to see the beautiful design I felt it was better to make the envelope a flip, instead of putting it in a pocket.

 A vertical pocket and a waterfall of flips also was created to accommodate all the cut outs from this paper line. I tried to include as many as I could. There were many!
 The page on the right is actually an accordion fold out that I secured with a ribbon and bow.
 The book ends with a double pocket, and a rosette.
Even the back cover got a little something elegant.

I hope you like this book as much as I liked making it. This will be a class in Woodstock, and Mundelien this August. You can always e-mail me for more information.

I have a set of cards from this paper line I will post another day. Then I will post my Halloween things I am currently working on.
Till Then
Thanks for looking!
Kim

Thursday, December 11, 2014

Graphic 45 "The Night Before Christmas" Cards


These four elegant cards were made with the new Christmas paper line from Graphic 45, "The Night Before Christmas". I love holly, and this line has two styles of holly paper that are beautiful. The first card I designed I used an embossing folder  onto ivory cardstock to emboss a design onto the left side only. I then cut with a craft knife, vertical slits at points slightly larger than than a thin rectangular die I was going to use to cut the frame. Cut a long slit connecting the two smaller slits, slide in the thin rectangular die face down, making sure the die was under the design, but on top of the paper to the right of the design. Then ran it thru my vagabond. I then trimmed out around my design, and adhered a gold frame under the window I created. Attach some chipboard scraps or foam squares under frame window, and attach to the cut out "merry & bright".  Wrap some ribbon around it and make a  bow, then I attached it all to the card.
Add a little lace, holly & pearls! You can add stickles to the flakes of snow in the image to make it sparkle.
I used the coordinating stamp set #1 for the greeting on this card. I stamped the greeting and embossed it in green embossing powder. I added the season's from another stamp set I owned. A button glue dotted on top of some ribbon pull it all together.

This card uses some paper that came from a vintage music book page, a doily from my Cheery Lynn Designs die, and a pine sprig from a Tim Holtz strip die.

More pine sprigs were used in this card along with the vintage Santa image from the above mentioned stamp set. I added a greeting from an older Hero Arts stamp set. I added a double bow and a Prima flower to finish it off.

Catch this class at a Chicagoland store this December!

Christmas tags will be showcased in my next few post! I have techniques to share.
Kim


2014 Fall Tags


Of all the years I've created and taught tags, I had not created a Fall tag I truly loved....until now!
These tags have three distinct and different techniques. The first is using Golden Light Molding paste, and acrylic paint to create a tree bark feel. Using the wood stencil from Tim Holtz over an inked tag (pumice stone, gathered twigs) I then spread the paste over the stencil, thickly. When I peeled up the tag I was pleased with the results.

I then created a corn stalk from natural raffia, tied it together, and glue dotted it to the tag. The quote is from Graphic 45 November paper. The leaves are made of green cardstock and stained vellum cut out on the Fall gatherings strip die from Tim Holtz. At the bottom of the tag, tucked under the pumpkins you'll find parts of an apple bag from the grocery store. I cut the bag into strips. Then I stretched it and frayed it. It really added some texture and color.

The next tag is very colorful. The photo doesn't do it justice. I used a set of leaves stamps from Tim Holtz and several different Distress Ink colors. I started by inking the tag with brushed sage, with a blending tool. Then ink the stamp with the lightest color ink, then added other colors of ink by using the corner of the inkpad in a brushing motion onto the stamp. Since distress inks stay wetter longer there is no need to huff onto the stamp before applying it to the tag. Use a heat gun to thoroughly dry the tag. Then we inked the edges of the tag with Vintage Photo and applied clear embossing powder to the edges and heated it till it melted clear. Add a burlap rectangle, ribbon, and a card from the Seasonal paper pad of Tim Holtz edged in a leafing marker.
The third tag has a little wow factor! My husband watched me do the background, and his comment was "Cool"! The technique is straight out of Tim's "Composium of Curiosities III". Even the colors are the same. You need to try this technique! Paint a tag any color, then dry it with a heat gun. Use a Distress Paint in the metallic colors, and cover the tag with it. Mist with water lightly, then partially dry the tag with your heat gun. You can add more water to help delay areas from drying too fast. Before the tag is dry apply a paper towel to the top of tag and rub your hands over it. Remove paper towel. Mist with water to remove any paper towel pattern. At this point you can rub more of the metallic paint off if needed. Dry completely with heat gun. The effect is unique. I can't wait to try this in a different color.
All my students really liked the effects of this technique. I added an embossed leaf from Tim's new die/embossing folder set in chipboard covered in bookprint. I inked the leaf with walnut stain along the edges, then inked the top with a "Brilliance" Copper inkpad. The larger charm is actually a postage stamp from one of the graphic 45 papers I adhered to chipboard then crackle painted.

This is my favorite set of Fall Tags I've ever made. I hope you enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving
Kim

Halloween Tags

I had so much fun teaching these tags!
We used a few new things that I was so glad my students just loved. I cut the bricks out of scraps from a Tim Holtz strip die, to use as a stencil. Then we used Golden Light Molding Paste mixed with some acrylic paint the color of bricks. The spread it over the stencil, thickly. The results were just what I was looking for to give this tag dome dimension. A faux brick wall was the perfect background for the new Lantern die-cut. On the Raven tag I used chunky glitter, which gave the bird an interesting reflective quality. Every year for Halloween I try to do a tag in tribute to Mr. Poe.
On the third tag, We used a Layered stencil of Tim's (Shattered), and Viva Decor Mother of Pearl paint. I love the shimmer this line of paints gives off. I mixed the mother of pearl with some distress paint (picket fence) on a craft sheet, and used the stencil as a stamp by rubbing the stencil into the paint and then placing it onto the tag. I needed to rub over the stencil with a finger to make sure the stencil laid down flat to apply the image.
Overall I loved the way these tags turned out. I think the students loved the brick wall best. This class was taught exclusively to my Woodstock students.

Fall tags are next!
Till then
Kim