Techniques

Skating Winter Scene Tutorial (Reflection and Brayer Techniques)

I guess I neglected to tell you all where I was going to be this week!  This week I got to attend the Leadership Convention out in Phoenix, AZ - it was SO much fun!  In fact, I've been taking enormous volumes of pictures to share with you, and the only thing that has kept me from sharing them with you is that I had no internet in my room, and I only now was able to buy some time to blog!

It has been an awesome conference - the focus is on running better businesses, and learning to help our teams in their businesses more, and of course I'm coming home with a TON to share with my team of Sea to Sky Stampers!  I also had lots of creative education and have LOADS to share with you at my SALE-A-BRATION Open House on Sat., Jan 23rd - I hope you have your calendar marked because I am going to share SO MUCH with you that I've learned!!!! 

In the meantime, I wanted to start sharing some cool things about this week with you!  The first is that I was invited to participate in what turned out to be the most amazing swap I've ever participated in, called the 'Over the Top' swap!  I'll tell you more about the event in another post, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share the card I made for it!  Now, last year, I posted this skating scene on a similar card, and was inundated with requests for a tutorial. I thought it really captured the sensation of romance in the winter-time (cold Canadian winters anyway!) and that it might be a nice card to give my honey on the big V-day!   So, I thought I'd recreate the card for this swap, step it up a bit, and give you that tutorial! 

So, buckle in, here we go!!!

First of all, I used my favourite stampset for Winter Scenes: Winter Post - LOVE THIS SET!!!

Next, I stamped in CRAFT Basic Black ink the skaters image and heat embossed it in black embossing powder (forgot to take a pic of that step, so pretend!) :)

I then stamped in CLASSIC Basic Black ink the same image on a piece of the acetate from the Stamp-a-ma-jig, and before it dried...

I turned it upside down, and matching the feet on my previously stamped image, I pressed the acetate down and firmly 'stamped' it onto the cardstock. 

When I was finished, it looked like this: (notice how the second image is perfectly reversed, slightly smudged, and a little weaker than the original image - perfect for a reflection!)

Then, I squeezed the middle of a closed inkpad case (regal rose in this case)
 

forming a pool of ink inside the lid of the case..

 

I then coloured the parts of my picture which I wanted to be shaded a bit (the parts that are darker, etc) with my matching regal rose Stampin' Write Marker .

before the ink dried, I immediately got in there with my aqua-painter which I first filled in that inkpad pool of ink...

 

and used to colour in the rest of the shirt, blending as I went.  I also took the opportunity to use ONLY the aqua painter to colour in the reflected image (no marker shading first)

 

I repeated with the other colours (I chose Perfect Plum, Bordering Blue, and Not Quite Navy)

 

Ok, then I took some old scrap paper, and ripped myself a line for my landscape - NOTE: it's VERY important that you do this in only one straight line, so you can use both the top and bottom of the tearing edge.   i.e. once it's been torn, don't go back and adjust it!

 

I then stamped an additional pair of skaters on some scrap cardstock, and cut it out, to make myself a mask..

 

I then placed the mask over my top image of skaters (NOT the reflected image)

 

I then brayered over the entire piece of cardstock  with Bashful Blue, being careful to only go from one side to the other of the cardstock (I want streaky lines!)

 

See how that ends up?

I then took a sponge with Bashful Blue, and sponged around the skaters to make sure that I really got into all the spaced with the bashful blue (sometimes the brayer misses some spots)

 

I then placed my mask over the MASKED upper skater image, from about waist-high.  I then brayered over VERY lightly, one time in Taken with Teal - just once mind you - it is really easy to get too much of that aqua colour - it is nighttime in the pic after all! :)

 

Then I sponged top to bottom in night of navy to get streaks like ice has.  Again, not too much, and you can also use something mid-range in colour like not quite navy or ballet blue or something - all personal taste!

 

See the streaky effect?

 

Ok, now take the 'Lovely as a Tree' stampset, and stamp the tree scene using CLASSIC Basic Black to stamp the image on acetate (same technique as the skaters)

MASK the reflected skaters (oops!  forgot to mask them in the pic!).  Before the image dries, go ahead and reverse stamp it onto the bottom of what is becoming your lake..

it should look like this when you are done:

 

THEN, replace your 'landscapre mask", re-mask your upper skater image, and versamark the entire 'lake' area. 
 

sprinkle with clear embossing powder

 

heat emboss

 

and you should have a shiny lake they are skating on, with their legs NOT shiny (thanks to your mask)

Ok, now brayer on that dark sky, and in this one I used Ballet Blue and Night of Navy I believe..

Sponge in the remaining areas you want to darken..

 

Mark your skaters again, and stamp the tree image over them in Basic Brown..
 

Now, you might lose a bit of the image around the mask, and if you do, just touch it up with a coordinating Stampin' Write marker (I LOVE fixing my errors with those!!)
 

Then add some snow highlights with your white gel pen..

 

I added a few stars too..
 

Then use crystal effects to add depth over those whitened areas you made..
 

Sprinkle over all with dazzling diamonds glitter

 

this is what you should have now - check out the reflection and the contrast between the shiny 'ice' and the muted sky..

 

Pop up on a coordinating piece of cardstock, and you are done!!!  I hope you enjoyed that tutorial!!!!

Animal Shadow Box

If you were a hostess last year, or you placed an order that qualified for hostess benefits, you are one of the lucky ones who are invited to my annual Hostess Oasis event on July 6th!  Everyone is getting a massage (not by me - no worries there!), there will be games, new products, and of course a make n' take!

Sooooo... wanna see what the make n' take will be?  You DO?!  You just want to see a sneak peek of some of the new products and colours from the new catalog, don't you!  LOL - ok, how about a sneak peek for you????  Here's the make n' take we will be making!

This is a 'Shadow Box Card', and they are really simple to make (and if you are a hostess coming on the 6th, you will be making this one!) - here's how:

1. Cut two pieces of 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" cardstock
   
   
2. optionallly cut one sheet of 3-1/2" x 4" designer series paper for the background image (isn't this one CUTE?!)
   
   
3. Score in the edges of both pieces of cardstock at 1/2" and 1" from the ends, and glue the last segments together, forming the box!

That's it!  Wanna know what some of these new goodies are???  Here goes!

• Soft Suede IN COLOUR Cardstock ('09-'10)
• Tall Tales Designer Series Paper ('09-'10)
• Animal Stories Stampset ('09-'10 catalog)
• Teeny Tiny Wishes Stampset ('09-'10 catalog)
• Circle Circus Stampset ('09-10 catalog)
• Soft Suede, Dusty Durango & Crushed Curry Classic Inkpads ('09-'10 catalog)
• Modern Label Punch ('09-'10 catalog)
  
• Green Galore Classic Inkpad
  
• Versamark
• Clear Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Powder Pal

Isn't it CUTE?!!!  I LOVE these new sets - I am having SO much fun playing with them!!  I can't wait to share them with you at my Open House on the 18th!!!!

Punch Owl

I've had lots of folks ask me how I made the punch owl card, so I'm going to walk you through it today.  Here you go!

Supplies Needed for Owl:

• 3 primary colours of cardstock, plus black
• Boho Blossoms Punch
• 1-3/8" Circle Punch
• Scallop Circle Punch
• 1/4" Circle Punch
• Double Circle Punch (for the eyeballs)
• Round Tab Punch (for the head)
• 3/4" Circle Punch

Colours I used:

• Basic Grey
• Sahara Sand
• Only Orange
• Basic Black
• Whisper White

Instructions:

1) Punch out 2 Boho Blossom Punches in the feet/beak colour.  Using the 'pointy' flower, cut a beak out of one of the petals.  The 2 round flowers become the feet. 

2) In the darker colour of cardstock, punch one Round Tab - this will be the head. 

3) In the darker colour of cardstock, punch 2 Scallop Circles for the wings.  (once you have figured out how to make this, you can probably do this with only one circle, but while you are learning, start with 2 to make it easier).

4) Using your 1-3/8" Circle Punch, round off half of each of the scallop circles to make the wings.

5) Using the lighter cardstock, punch 3 scallop circles for the fluffy breast.  I used my 1-3/8" punch to trim these like the wings, and used both resulting sides to 'piece' together the breast. 

6) Using the lighter cardstock, punch 2, 3/4" circles for the eye frames.

7) Using white, punch 2, 1/4" circles

8) Using black, punch 1, double circle.

That's it!  Piece it all together, and you have Monsiour Owlie! :)

Bee is for Birthday

Wow - I got my first true compliment, with my first swap!  As usual, the swapping is intense at convention - I hadn't even really finished my swaps yet (I had 6 that were finished, other than the ones that were in my suitcase), and we were sitting in the lobby, waiting for our roommate to arrive.  A lovely lady came over and asked us if we were swapping, and the swapping began between her group and mine. 

Then, I looked at one of the swaps they had, and would you believe it?  It was my bee card!!!  OMGosh!  Someone cased my card, and used it for their swap - what a HUGE compliment!  I never got her name, but wow, it sure made my day!  So cool to see that someone liked my swap enough to make it for their swap!  I'm still tickled. :)

Last night's sleep was a little less than good - we tried the sleep number beds at the Radisson - picture 4 grown women, playing with the controls and inflating and deflating the beds, laughing hysterically!  My review on those beds is that they aren't that big of a deal, and weren't that comfortable - give me a Weston or Hampton Inn bed any day! 

This morning we are getting ready to head off to the convention to pick up our 'loot', meet my new 'SAM' (a person from SU who will work with me over the next year - I got one because I earned the cruise - you didn't know I was so cool, did you?!), and most importantly, GET THE NEW CATALOG!!  WOO HOO!!  I'll update later with more info, and hints on what I see!!

UPDATE: 4Feb09 - due to many requests, I'm posting the instructions for how to make the bee on this card - enjoy!

The bee is made with a 1-1/4" punch (black), and then a yellow circle punched by 1-1/4" circle, and then punched with a 1-3/8" circle over and over to get the stripes.  :)  A little counter-intuitive, I know!  The stinger is the little star punch, the antennae are 1-3/8" circles in black punched just so we get the hair thin lines. 

The wings are just cardstock vellum, punched with the small oval. 

Good luck!

Kari's Crystal Embossing/Stained Glass Window Technique

Ooh, this is SO much fun!  I made up a new technique this month, and I haven't shared it yet - I call it 'Crystal Embossing', and it is is SO pretty!  I'm so excited to share it with you!!! 

I was playing around with markers and acetate, and had a sudden brainwave - markers don't dry on acetate, so we should be able to make a stained glass window effect using them!  I was right, and here's how you can do it too!

Here's what you need to make this card:

• Stampin' Write Markers
• Heat Tool
• Powder Pal
• Crystal Clear Embossing Powder
• Acetate
• Mini Glue Dots
• Snail Runner
• Perfect Plum Cardstock
• Whisper White Cardstock
• Elegantn Eggplant Grosgrain Ribbon
• White Staz-on

Step 1: Score Your Acetate

In this card, I cut a piece of acetate to 11"x4.25" (one sheet of 8.5"x11" cut in half the long way)

I then scored it in half at 5.5".

Step 2: Stamp your Image that you wish to emboss using Staz-On Ink

I LOVE white staz on, and use it for bags, on photos, and on acetate! And of course, this is an image from Doodle This - one of my FAVOURITE sets - I LOVE the scrolliness of it!! :)

Step 3:Remove the Staz-on From Your Stamp Right Away.

Ok, I get lots of questions on how to remove Staz-on from stamps.  I know, it's tough!  Well, not if you use the Staz-On Cleaner - here's how:

-Stamp off excess ink

-cover stamp with staz-on cleaner

-wipe off with damp rag

-repeat if the stamp is really messy!

Step 4: Place card inside acetate, so you know where you want the image to appear on the card.

If you have a finicky image, I recommend using a stamp-a-ma-jig to place it perfectly.

Step 5: Remove Acetate, and Stamp Inside Image

I used All Holidays for this one - it's a great set to keep on hand - one of most of the basics.

Step 6: Colour the Acetate Image You Stamped Using Stampin' Write Markers

Keep your ink moist so you can emboss - if the image is large, do this in pieces, so the powder will stick..

Step 7: Cover Image with Crystal Effects Embossing Powder

Tap the leftover powder into a powder pal. 

Step 8: LIGHTLY Heat Emboss

I did this using a gentle back and forth motion.  Be CAREFUL - if you heat too much, the acetate will either melt, or get rumply.  As soon as I finish, I immediately (while the plastic is still warm) use my bone folder to recrease the fold. 

Step 9: Use glue dots SPARINGLY to attach back of card to acetate.

I use only one per corner, and a couple more on the long edges - don't want it to show!

Step 10: Place Ribbon inside Acetate, using glue dots on back.

 

Step 11: Tie Ribbon and Finish!

Scarecrow Card (Watercolouring with Markers)

Today I'm going to teach you a couple of different techniques.  One is dying Hemp Twine with markers, another is heat embossing, another is sponging, plus masking and yet one more is watercolouring with markers and an aqua painter.  Here goes!

Supplies Needed:

• 3 colours ink, light to dark (I used Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie and Ruby Red, my fave fall colours)
• Craft Basic Black ink
• Black Embossing Powder
• Heat Tool
• Sponge
• Scissors (to mutilate sponge)
• Stampin' Write Markers (notice them resting on their sides, how they should be stored!)
• Aqua painter
• Powder Pal (to catch the powder and funnel it into bottle when you're done)
• Stampset
• Watercolour Paper

Ok, here goes!!

How to Heat Emboss:

Step 1: Stamp your image using Craft Ink

Craft ink dries much more slowly than classic, thereby giving the powder a chance to stick.

Step 2: Sprinkle Black Embossing Powder over image.

Ok, caveat here, YES, basic black classic ink is waterproof, but my watercolouring isn't.  I find that by embossing my image before I watercolour it, I can actually stay in the lines and make my image look nice.  It's by no means required, it's just what works for me. :) 

Note the lovely use of the powder pal, which used to have the awesome cap that kept the powder in while you tapped it all down, and my then 1 and 4 year old decided was much more suited to their play area and lego mine.  In a nutshell, gone gone gone...

Step 3: Using your Heat Tool, Heat Emboss the Image

Now, lots of folks will give you different methods for this, including heating from the bottom (so the powder doesn't float away).  Because I only have one hand, I can only tell you my preferred methods (so I can take a pic with the other!). 

I like to heat my tool up before I use it - let it run for about 10 seconds or so.  Then, using a gentle circular motion, I start at one point in the image, and heat the powder until it turns from a powdery, dull look, to a shiny finish.  When I'm done, I raise it horizontal to the ceiling, and tilt it back and forth to make it catches the light as I tilt it. 

Note: if you have a small image, hold it with tweezers while you heat emboss to avoid burning yourself. :)

Step 5: Cover your Image with a Mask
Stamp the image you are using on a scrap piece of paper (out of the recycling preferably!).  Cut out this image and place it over your already-stamped image (the permanent one). 

I usually keep my masks that I have already cut out inside the stampbox, so I don't have to do it over and over again - that's why the one you see to the left is already a colour. :)

Another tip is to use old post it notes when you stamp a mask - the sticky on the back will adhere to your image in a lovely, removable way.  Wow, I'm addicted to the word lovely today - that's suprising, given that it's one of those 'didn't have time to shower mom days'! :)

Step 6: Cut up a Sponge

I love mangling sponges. :)  Seriously - the stampin' up! sponges are awesome - nice and thick and, well, spongy!  The first thing you want to do when you get it is wreck it!  Woo hoo! (ok, I don't get out much) :)

No, actually, cut yourself some 'pie wedges' out of it, and hold them by the skinny edge as you sponge. Or, better yet, use sponge daubers. :)

Step 7: Load with Sponge Lightest Colour
Load your sponge using a classic inkpad - just rub it all over.  Or you can squeeze the ink cartridge, creating a pool of ink inside the lid, and load it that way - makes a darker colour that way.  Whatever effet you want, go with that way to get it!

Step 8: Sponge the lightest colour all over the cardstock
Sponge the lightest colour all over the cardstock (with mask in place). 

Step 9: Sponge 2nd lightest colour (for me pumpkin pie), just about 1/2way in..

This is what it looks like when you are done..

Step 10: Sponge darkest colour, just on outside edges














what it looks like when you're done..

Step 11: Colour in lightest areas using the summer sun marker





























Step 12: Colour Rust outlines over yellow

 



















Step 13: Blend using Aqua Painter

Ok - my trick here is that first I squeeze the water out of the pen so it is dripping.  Then I wipe it off on a towel (or sometimes my jeans - yikes!).  Or I squeeze out the excess water with my fingers.  THEN I blend the colours using the moist pen.

You repeat this process using other colours - I'll include some pics here of me doing it...

Last but not least, this is how I got the Hemp Twine to match:

Colour Hemp Twine using pumpkin pie marker.  Make sure it is fully dry before you put it on your project!

That's it!  I hope you liked my tutorial!! :)

Acetate and Mulberry Distressing

I combined this technique with this week's Card Sketch Challenge - SC178 on Splitcoast.  Here's the pic of the layout I had to use (thanks Amber!):

What You'll Need:

• Sheet of Acetate (overhead transparency or clear envelope)

• Black Staz-on Ink
• Stamp (preferably line image)
• Reinkers
• Stipple Brush
• Paint Brush
• Old Sponge
• Mulberry Paper

Here's How:

Step 1: Crumple your Mulberry, and then uncrumple it gently, keeping the paper intact.

Step 2: Stamp your image onto the acetate using Staz-on ink.

Step 3: Flip image over so you are looking at the unstamped back of the acetate.  Using a sponge, smear Crystal Effects over back of image.

Step 4: Drip reinkers in various colours over the parts of the image you want that colour on.

Step 5: Paint reinker where you would like it to be.

Step 6: Place mulberry over reinked image, using stipple brush to tap all the air bubbles out.

Step 7: Dry, then adhere to cardstock!  Voila!

Contrasting Colour Glitter

Ok, here it is: my final card for the glitter class that happened tonight.  Tom finally got my computer going again - something about restarting, blah blah, memory, blah blah blah, too much.  Whatever. ;)

So this puppy is a delight - this is showcasing a technique of using this fabulous paper you can get a Michael's called 'Art Accentz', and it is SO sticky!  you can also use Heat & Stick powder with glitter, as well as 2 way glue pens, crystal effects, sticky tape, glue dots, etc.  However, for this particular technique (punching), you need the Art Accentz, as the backing on the tape is strong enough to be punched, and then re-adhered. 

Here's how I did it:

1) I adhered the WHITE side of the sticker sheet to the paper, and smoothed it out. 

2) I removed the BROWN backing from the sticker sheet.

3) I punched out shapes from the sticker sheet.

4) I adhered (WAXY SIDE DOWN!), the shapes I punched out, back onto the sticker sheet.

5) I then took Fine Cosmo Glitter, and sprinkled it onto the sticker sheet. 

6) I pushed in the glitter with my finger, to both adhere it fully to the sticker sheet, as well as get the metal flakes to lay as flat as possible (and catch the light). 

7) I tapped off the excess.

8) Using my paper snips, I then carefully pried up the shapes I cut out.

9) Using a contrasting glitter colour, I then filled in the spaces with that glitter, and repeated the process.

Voila!  Enjoy. ;)

Coloured Sparkles

Ok - let's talk about the hottest trend right now - SPARKLES!  This is a great way to generate excitement in your art, catch the eye, or add a touch of the feminine side of things - I mean, who doesn't love sparkles?! (Ok, I admit to the floor of my craft room being LITTERED with shimmery sparkly bits from my experiments!).

So, let me talk to you about how to start using this stuff in your projects!  First off, you need a very fine glitter - Stampin' Up! sells stampin' glitter that lasts a VERY long time, but gives a GREAT effect - good coverage, LOTS of light reflection.  Check them out on page 187 of the catalog - $6.25 for a jar in three colours: Romantic Red, Dazzling Diamonds, and Silver Shine. 

So, how do you use the stuff?  Well first off, know that it is really fine, so it can get a little messy.  With a little help, you can control this mess: Use your powder pal (same page in the catty) to control the mess - just sprinkle to your heart's content, and then funnel it back into the container when you are done using the built-in funnel.  Although, sometimes I like to feel girly, and come out of my scraproom glittering like an angel...  <ahem>

Ok - so there are lots of way to get the glitter to stick to your project, and not to the person who receives it later.  You can use Liquid Glue, a 2-way Glue Pen, or my personal, stinky favourite - Heat & Stick Powder (again, same page).  Heat & Stick is amazing stuff, as you can get REALLY fine detail on where you want your glitter to adhere, instead of just big blobs of glitter.  You can also get very consistent coverage this way.  Here's how you use it:

1) Use Versamark (either a pen for small detail you are adding in, or the pad to stamp an image) to detail where you want sparkles to go. Sprinkle the Heat & Stick (H&S) powder on, tap off excess. 

2) Gently heat the H&S powder with your heat tool, until it changes consistency.  It will become sticky - don't overheat, or you will lose that stickiness. 

3) Sprinkle your glitter over the sticky H&S powder - tap off excess. Brush off any stray glitter with a paintbrush.  Gently heat-set the glitter and you're done!

Ok - for those of you who are thinking, cool, but I want MORE.. here's more!  How about changing the colour of the glitter???  Oh yes - you can tint it to match all the SU! papers, ribbons, you name it!  Here's how:

1) Add one drop of classic ink to an empty stampin' store container (or something tiny you have and don't care about). 

2) Mix in a few drops of water.

3) Add about a half a teaspoon of Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter and mix.

4) Continue adding glitter until all the dye is absorbed.  You'll notice that the glitter will take on a fluffy texture as it absorbs the dye. 

5) Continue to mix in glitter until the fluff begins to sparkle.  The dyed glitter will retain its fluffy texture, but the colour will reflect off the added glitter.  So all you will see if coloured sparkles! 

Now You!

Kissing

                                                          
No, no, this hasn't become a self-help column!  This is a great technique to get miles out of your solid stamp images.  If you look closely at the image to the right, you will see that the blossom has a pattern on it (if you click on it, it will take you to my gallery, where you can open it larger).  I created this pattern using the kissing technique - here's how you can do it too:

1) Choose two stampsets, a SOLID image for your main image, and a patterned image you would like on the main image. 

2) Choose two contrasting inks, one light and one dark.

3) Ink your SOLID stamp in the LIGHTER colour. 

4) Ink your PATTERNED stamp in the DARKER colour.

5) Stamp the PATTERNED stamp DIRECTLY ONTO the SOLID Stamp.  (one stamp will sit on top of the other one).

6) Now stamp the solid stamp image onto cardstock, and you will get a two-toned image with a pattern!

7) There is a guided tutorial for this on splitcoast - check it out!