November 07, 2013

Love Us Anniversary Card

I got a new Simon Says Card kit and decided to work ahead and make my hubby’s anniversary card early! Our anniversary isn’t until November 25th so I am way, way ahead!

love us annv card

I always remember the anniversary and we make plans but I forget about the card until the very last second. And if you know me, you know that I NEVER make things until the last minute. I added a red heart for each member of our family. I accidentally cut the patterned paper too short so that’s why the banner is at the bottom. I know it isn’t that balanced but hubby won’t mind :) I should have cut the DP and placed the gap behind the banner but for some reason I didn’t think of that ‘til now.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps:
Love This-SSS
Ink: Versamark
Paper: black CS-PTI, DP-SSS kit
Accessories: heart die-SSS, paperclip-SSS kit, Nestabilities die, foam dots-Jody Morrow

November 06, 2013

Gold Embossed Card

I tried something new on this card. I added a sprinkling of embossing powder to the ink I used (direct to paper) to accent the dry embossing.

gold embossed elegant card

Some of it stuck to the bit of ink that got on the debossed areas so I brushed it off with a soft brush. The circles that look really dark are just mirrored gold sequins. I promise they aren’t dark brown!

This card is for Cardabilities #80 (unfortunately, I am several week’s behind) and Joan’s Gardens.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Ink:
Encore gold pigment ink
Paper: white CS-PTI
Accessories: Anna Griffin embossing folder-Sizzix, gold ribbon, lace, large gold bead, white bead-stash, corsage pins, pearls-Michaels, small gold bead-Fore Mountain Beads, rose-Jesse James buttons, sequins-Fabricland, gold EP-SU!

November 02, 2013

Crystal Blue Persuasion Necklace and Earrings

Since the Monday (shabby and grungy) SSS challenge blog with the theme of anything goes said we were welcome to enter jewellery, I decided to enter a set I made a couple weeks ago.

crystal blue persuasion necklace

I made it hoping to get on a design team but turns out they only accept US residents. I even have a US addy I can use but unfortunately, the reason is for speed of delivery and that’s something I can’t offer at that address. I had won a prize of beads from this same company so I used mostly their beads to make this. All the pearls are from ZnetShows.

The crystals are Swarovski, though Znet also has amazing crystals, and the lampwork bead is one I fell in love with years ago when I bought it but it’s not just an bead and I hadn’t found the right home for it until I made this necklace.

crystal blue persuasion earrings

I’m afraid my loops aren’t quite perfect on these earrings though what looks like a lot in a close up photo is probably only a mm or 2 IRL. I made my own earwires for the first time and I was pretty proud.

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE (as above) plus silver head pins, silver lobster clasp, rhinestone rondelles-Ebay, Beadsmith 19 strand wire, extender chain

Home Sweet Home Pumpkin Mixed Media Canvas

Creating this was interesting on so many levels. I’m trying to enjoy fall more by decorating my house a bit. These aren’t colours that go with the little I have decorated but it’s still fun.

pumpkin mixed media canvas

I hate fall because it brings cold weather right after I’ve enjoyed summer so much and is a forerunner to winter with even more cold. But I really wanted to enter a couple challenges that this theme worked with. I experimented with a new medium, water soluble oil pastels. And I tried out some other new techniques like adding colour to my embossing paste and not the background.

pumpkin mixed media canvas2

So here’s how it’s made.

  1. add crumpled tissue paper to the background. I used one with birds, leaves and bird cages. Use gel medium underneath and on top of the tissue and allow some wrinkles to form.
  2. add gesso mixed with water over hte top. Create as much opacity as you like. I often add two layers to make sure I don’t get too much coverage the first time.
  3. This step is one I don’t know I’d use again but it was fun experimenting. Add dark brown oil pastel around the edges and over the edge, about 1”. add a lighter brown inside that. Buff with a rag and add gilder’s wax to the outside edge spreading some colour across  into the center of the canvas. (this didn’t end up showing in the end, I’ll explain as I go).
  4. add music paper to the bottom of the page with gel medium, colour with alcohol ink.
  5. add lace.
  6. Die cut ivy tendril and flourishes, sponge and stamp them
  7. cut sentiment from paper pack and add gold paint pen to edges in distressed (not perfect) way
  8. tear oval shapes from orange paper. I used a die to tear against so my shapes were torn but still smooth-ish on the edges. cut a stem. ink all edges and assemble adding a twine bow .
  9. add pumpkin and flourishes to canvas with gel medium. Use layers of scrap paper under upper portion of pumpkin to raise it to the height of the bottom portion which is over the lace. I didn’t make sure it met the edge of the lace.
  10. add embossing paste to top of canvas using a stencil. Allow to dry without using heat gun. I found when I used the heat gun, it brought the oil from the oil pastels to the surface and made it shiny. When I buffed it, quite a lot came off and I had to add back more colour. It never looked quite as good as it did in the beginning.
  11. when paste is dry, add green and brown ink. the good thing about the oil pastel background is it resists inking so the colour only sticks to the leaves. a nice bonus and something to think about when I use pastels next time.
  12. add sentiment using layers of scrap cardstock behind it instead of foam dots. not only was a worried about the foam dots sticking on the oily pastel background, it is more sturdy to use cardstock.
  13. add antique linen distress stickles to the pumpkin using a thin layer and to the heart in the sentiment using a thick layer. The moisture from the stickles and the uneven backing to the pumpkin allowed it to warp slightly which is a shabby look I quite like.

I’m entering this in the holiday SSS Wednesday blog challenge Anything Goes, the Mixed Media Colour Challenge to make a holiday themed project, the SSS Monday blog challenge Anything Goes and TSTR 190 to make a project using a pumpkin.

tstr _190

Happy Holidays MCC Badge

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Stamps:
fancy flourishes-PTI
Ink: artichoke-PTI, Vintage photo Distress
Paper: Simple Stories
Accessories: Portfolio Oil Pastels, homemade embossing paste, Crafter’s workshop stencil, gilder’s paste-?, lace-stash, ivy die-Poppy, flourish dies, twine-PTI, Krylon paint pen, tissue-?, gel medium, gesso-Golden, canvas-Dollarama, nesties ovals (as tearing templates)

November 01, 2013

Hi Inlaid Die Cuts Card

I won a set of alphabet dies from Taylored Expressions a few months ago and I decided to use them for the PTI Make It Monday challenge to embed die cuts in the background.

hi embedded ie cuts

I used washi tape for the black dots. The paper is from Webster pages I think. You can check out the post on Nichole’s blog for directions but the basic idea is that you use the dies to cut the shapes out of the background then also out of a contrasting paper and put the die cuts into the holes in the background. Easy right? I thought my die cuts didn’t have enough contrast so I inked them. Tricky since I’d already adhered them into the background but I cut the dies again from scratch paper and used the negative space as a mask. I also cut the letters from the same paper as I used on the card; the holes are hiding underneath the white panel! :)

I’m also entering this in Seize the Sketch 7. And in the SSS Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes.

seize sk 7

Enjoy, Rebecca

RECIPE
Ink:
Berry Sorbet
Paper: white CS-PTI, DP-Webster's pages
Accessories: TE alpha dies, heart die-PTI, washi tape-Queen and Co