DIY Metal Embellies

I'm certainly not an expert on working with metal, but boy, is it a lot of fun. With the use of a couple of tools, you can create your own one-of-a-kind metal embellishments, which will look fab on all of your art projects. All of the tools used in these photos are by Ten Second Studio.

First, I started by stamping an image onto an aluminum sheet of metal with Staz On ink. I trimmed the image out with a pair of sturdy, but sharp scissors.

Second, working on a foam mat, I used a stylus to deboss around the shape of the heart on the front (stamped) side. I flipped the heart over and on the back I used a paper stump to rub out the area inside the heart. This creates a dimensional effect on the metal and makes the heart appear to be round and full.

Next, I flipped the heart over to the front and debossed all of the areas that I wanted to appear to be "impressed" into the metal.

Finally, I flipped the heart over to the back and embossed all of the areas that I wanted to "pop" on the front of my image. It takes a bit of work, but if you go back and forth between embossing and debossing the metal, you will end up with an awesome metal embellie that looks nothing like what you started out with.

It took me roughly 10 minutes to make this sacred heart from beginning to end, so there really is not a lot of time invested here. Also, for my project, I like the look of the black ink against the metal, because it gives it a rustic look, but you can easily reverse the project and end up with a nice clean silver embellishment if you like. Try it, you'll like it ;D

Dia de los Muertos

As you can tell, It's only September, but the Halloween and Dia de los Muertos holidays are beckoning to me and I can't ignore their cries :D I created a card (sort of) for Dia de los Muertos, using a very popular image by Invoke Arts depicting a skeleton adorned with roses. You will most likely recognize this image from the album art on one of the Grateful Dead's album covers. Here I have colored the image with Copic markers and then embossed it 4 times with the aid of my ever so faithful Versamarker and some clear embossing powder. I just can't get enough of this technique. I love it when people see it and ask "How did you do that?". I feel like a magician ;-)

Next, I stamped the frame with Staz On ink in black on a metal aluminum sheet from 10 Second Studio and trimmed the image out using a pair of good, sturdy scissors. I also used a craft knife on a cutting mat to remove the center portion of the frame. Using a stylus and some decorative tools from 10 Second Studio, I embossed the stamped design on the metal. Occasionally, I flipped the project over and debossed the other side to make my details really pop. I also added a few details of my own with the Ball and Cup tool. A few highlights with the Copics and my frame was finished in no time.

I added twine, a milagro, a bottle with a message, and some paper flowers to finish it off. My favorite detail has to be the tiny glass bottle holding the handwritten message reading, "The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity. - Seneca". A wonderful message indeed, and to me, it so eloquently captures the spirit of Dia de los Muertos.

Sympathy Card

Sympathy Cards can be some of the most challenging cards to create. Creating cards during happy circumstances can be difficult enough, but making a card to recognize the passing of a loved one can be extremely delicate for lack of a better term. During these times I am usually drawn to simple, clean images that focus on natural elements. There is a serenity evident in nature that calms the soul and provides a passage for recognizing peace in even the most turbulent of times. For this card I turned to some lovely nature images by Character Construction and kept the color palette focused on soft greens and blues. I found this verse by Lord Byron while doing some research on the Internet and it seemed to convey the message that out of great sorrow and despair, there is always a ray of hope and a glimmer of life:

"In the desert a fountain is springing,
in the wide waste there still is a tree,
and a bird in the solitude singing,
which speaks to my spirit of thee."

Autumn Bird Cards

It's still nice and warm here in Albuquerque, so Fall weather is far from my mind. However, a couple of cards using warm Autumn colors seems just the ticket to get the ball rolling :) These cards feature images from Tim Holtz' set Artful Flight and a new Design Block stamp by Hero Arts, Antique Flower Background. The birds were embossed 3 times with the help of my trusty Versamarker. The birdcage was colored with Copic markers and also embossed 3 times. The addition of some Nestability die cuts and some embellishments finish these cards off nicely. Nothing fancy and nothing too time consuming. Sometimes these types of cards are just the ticket when time is at a premium, but you need a card to just say "hi, I'm thinking about you" :D

I'm dreaming of ...Halloween!!

Hello All! I know it's a bit early to start thinking about Halloween, but I was working on some new class ideas and couldn't help but head in the Ghouls and Goblins direction for my September class at China Phoenix 2. I love all things Tim Holtz, but I have never really played with his techniques for creating wonderful distressed backgrounds, so I thought...why not give it a try. Now, trust me, I know I am no Tim Holtz, so these are no where near his caliber of creativity, but I had so much fun, that it didn't really even matter... :D

I started by getting my "brand new" Ranger craft sheet out that I've had for years and dusting it off...LOL!! I swiped Peeled Paint and Spiced Marmalade Distress ink pads on it in a large enough area to cover an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of smooth white coverstock (I like Neenah Solar White). Then I spritzed with just enough water to see it start to bead on the craft sheet. I added a couple of more spritzes in just a few spots to make the colors bleed a little more in these areas, but be careful, because it will get "muddy" real fast with too much water. Then I laid my coverstock down and pulled it across the craft sheet. I quickly dried it with the heat gun and then laid it down again on the ink leftover on the craft sheet to achieve a few interesting blotches on my paper. I completely dried it with the heat gun and then cleaned up my craft sheet with a wet cloth. I ironed the paper with a craft iron on my craft sheet (because it is heat safe) in order to make the paper a bit smoother and easier to work with. I had my craft sheet laid out on a large pad of paper for the ironing, because I didn't want to risk damaging my table. Then I added images from the Tim Holtz Spooky Stuff and Trick or Treat collections and ...voila!!! Background paper!! I selected a few key images from those same sets and stamped and embossed them several times with the aid of my handy dandy Versamarker to make them really stand out against my background paper. I felt like a little kid in art class and had the best time :D

Masculine Cards

Do you ever have trouble creating masculine cards? I know I do. I hate to stereotype cards for the men in our lives, but it seems the manly "go-to" color palette consists of lots of blues, greens, and browns. I'd like to say that I broke away from that mold with this card, but alas, you can see, I did not....LOL! I say if it works, then go with it :D However, there's no reason why we can't add terrific patterned papers, lots of interesting embellishments, and dimension. Here I used some wonderful stamped images by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous. His images are some of my favorites! I stamped them with Versafine ink and embossed with clear embossing powder. I pulled out my good old friend, the Versamarker pen, and embossed the images 2 more times to give them a glossy, lacquered look. I also added lots of dimensional foam tape to several of the layers, because I like a special card to have some depth and weight to it when I'm giving it as the main gift. Finished it off with paper flowers, gems, a tiny bit of ribbon, and even some glitter glue around the edge of the main panel. These items satisfy my need for bling without making it too girly. And hey...if it's too girly, too bad! LOL! It's a handmade card for crying out loud :D

Party Girl

My best friend requested a birthday card for her sister-in-law and she specifically asked for this great image by Bombshell Stamps. They are an awesome stamp company and specialize in pin-up girl and tattoo style images. Their stamps are so unusual and so beautiful! I am completely addicted to them right now and you will see more cards featuring them on my blog in the future. I kept the color palette in this project to a very classic red, white, and blue. The primary colors seem to work so well with these stamps. I colored the girl in the glass, and the birds with Copic markers. I added Versamarker to the martini glass and then embossed with clear embossing powder. I did this three times to really give it a glassy finish. If you've never tried this technique, I highly recommend it. It is super easy to do and yet it adds a really dramatic bit of detail to the finished project. I also popped the image with foam tape to add dimension and did it again to the leg hanging over the side of the glass. A few flowers and gems and the front of this card is finished!

The inside is layered with papers and the left side contains a pocket so my friend can add a personal note or a gift card. I also created a presentation box to house the card, which makes it even more special for the recipient. This project was so much fun to make, if you would like more details, leave me a comment on this post and I will be happy to answer.

The Love of My Life...Copic Markers

The love of my "crafting" life, anyway!

I received my very first comment on my blog and I am giddy with excitement!!! Hi Cynthia!! She reminded me that in Saturday's class we used Copic markers to add color to our images and some of the folks attending wanted me to give them a list of my favorite colors. If you're not familiar with these fabulous tools, they are alcohol ink markers that provide excellent, streak-free coverage. The finish is smooth and they are available in over 300 colors. The 12 colors in the photo above are my absolute faves, meaning I absolutely could not live without them. Here's a break down:

0 Colorless Blender - not so much a blender as a color "remover". Great for adding highlights or correcting a small mistake.
BG10 Cool Shadow - ever so light, this color is great for outlining an image and giving it depth. It almost disappears.
BG72 Ice Ocean - a beautiful shade of blue green.
BV04 Blue Berry - a lovely shade of blue violet.
C3 Cool Gray No. 3 - a light shade of gray that can be used to outline an image, but also looks great applied as color or shading.
E00 Skin White - perfect for skin tones.
E02 Fruit Pink - a nice blush of color for cheeks or shading around hairline.
E31 Brick Beige - a neutral color. Great for adding a ground shadow to an object or person.
R29 Lipstick Red - a wonderful shade of red.
Y21 Buttercup Yellow - a terrific soft yellow that is not too bright (I'm not talking about its IQ!)
YG03 Yellow Green - just what the name says, a great yellow green color.
YR07 Cadmium Orange - I love orange and my faves wouldn't be complete without this color.

Saturday Class at CP2

I'm teaching a class this Saturday at the local stamp store, China Phoenix 2, and thought I would share a couple of photos. We'll be working with the Cuttle Bug, some nestabilities, and embossing folders. I can't wait! The stamps used here are by Hero Arts and I added some fun embellishments to give the projects some sparkle. I also added lots of foam tape for dimension. I'm a big fan of using foam tape on card projects!! The bigger, the better...sort of how I like my hair!! LOL!! Enjoy!

I know I put that blog here somewhere...

Well, it's time to get this blog up and running! I've only had it for a year and this is my third post...talk about putting things off. My main goal for starting this blog is to offer tips and share ideas for creating handmade cards. I'm fascinated with the prospect of putting this info out into the blog universe and seeing if anyone will read it. Here goes nothing! Tomorrow I plan on uploading my first pictures...wish me luck!