Retro Rubber Challenge Blog Color Challenge is Silver, Blue, and White

Retro Rubber Challenge Blog Challenge Four is still running.  Please join us and enter your creation.

Silver, blue and white are a few of my favorite colors so this card was very aesthetically pleasing for me!   

Spellbinders Resplendent Rectangles made this card come together very quickly.  Metallic card stock die cuts so beautifully, and this is no exception with the blue background and inner panel.   Canford silver card stock was die cut once and provided the front panel and inner frame in one pass.  The angel image by A Stamp in the Hand is stamped in Memories Midnight Blue on a sparkle vellum paper.  It is die cut with another die from Resplendent Rectangles.  The top two layers are adhered with dimensional foam adhesive.  The Bows-It-All Version 2 made the triple looped bow quick and easy to make.  A few coordinating blue bling elements in the corners and the bow center finish the front of the card.  The card base is a shimmer white card stock found in my stash.    

The inner sentiment (manufacturer is unknown) is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud White and heat embossed in detail white embossing powder.  Using embossing powder on metallic card stock is challenging, so a small paintbrush helps clean up the embossing powder before heat setting.

Come on over and enter your creation at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog!

This Card in entered in the following Challenges:

Simon Says Anything Goes

Stamps & Fun = Creativity Christmas

Use Your Stuff Anything Goes

Scrapbook Stamp Society Anything Goes with option for Christmas

Winter Anniversary Card

My wonderful In-laws have an anniversary this week, in fact tomorrow.  This is the card that I created this evening to share with them on their 52^nd Anniversary.  Congratulations to both of them!

I started with the Deconstructed Sketch no. 181 and Colour Q Challenge #273 and headed for my scrap bin.  I found a lovely version of Old Olive and trimmed it for the card base.  I dug through my retro stamps and found a Fancy Pants Bella Brush background to stamp in both corners with Tsukineko Versa Mark Water Mark Ink.  Next my version of Hello Honey was trimmed to fit the front panel.  A great find in the orange scrap folder was a two toned paper that suited Calypso Coral and Poppy Parade very nicely.  One strip was pressure embossed with Sizzix Damask #3 and lightly sanded to bring out the design.  These layers were adhered directly to the white card base.  The Old Olive banner was inked with  Tsukineko Versa Magic Spanish Olive.  The corners were shaped with corner punch from McGill.  The inner banner was trimmed and adhered to the Old Olive layer.  Dimensional foam adhesive raised this layer up to add some interest and allow the banner to stand out a bit.  Spellbinders Labels Nine die cut the top label.  Dream Ink’s sentiment of “Happy Anniversary” is stamped in Spanish Olive and edges the outside edge to add a bit of distinction.   The label is finished with Want To Scrap Nestabling.  From my ribbon stash I found the perfect Old Olive version of ribbon that is tied into a triple loop bow on my fun new Bows-It-All Version 2 and adhered with a glue dot.  What a fun card this was to make in colors that I would not have thought of using.   

This card was inspired by and entered into the following challenges:

The deconstructed sketch no. 181

Colour  QChallenge #273
Simon Says Anything Goes

Bonneville Salt Flats

This past summer we trekked to Colorado for the BNAC sailboat race, see this post for a mini album that chronicles that wonderful week.  We took a little longer route home and drove across Utah to see the Bonneville Salt Flats and discovered an incredible scene.  The colors were absolutely wonderful, the photos don’t do them justice, wading in the water over salt crystals was an incredible experience for everyone! 

The beauty of the photos called for a clean and simple approach that highlights the colors of the photos.  The layout came together very quickly and needed very little embellishment.

 

There is a panoramic feature on my camera that I used to take the photo spread across the top of the layout.  If you look closely, my husband and two sons are in the photo.  With a little editing in Photoshop I was able to print the photo in a 3” x 24” format.  One 10” x 12’ print from Costco was then trimmed to size.  The Scrappy Cat Travel Phrases sentiments are stamped directly on the photos with Tsukineko StazOn Jet Black.  The colors if the Stamping Station Utah Map paper (languishing in my stash for many years) coordinated better than I could have hoped!  The photos are matted on Core'dinations card stock, and the layout base is Waussau Textures black card stock.  The black card stock just called out for me to use my old Zig Writer Chalk Collection in yellow with a Tim Holtz Mini Mask Compass.  Journaling was done in Ranger White Opaque pen.  For the final touch I used a few coordinating grommets found in my stash . . . of which I do not recall the manufacturer.

Journaling reads:

On our return trip home from Colorado we choose to go through Utah and visit the Bonneville Salt Flats, which were flooded for the first time in 100 years for Speed Week.  We stopped to enjoy the incredible colors of the sunset and a wade in the Great Salt Lake.  August 9, 2014

This layout is entered in the following challenges:

Craft Hoarders Anonymous  #22 Have a Nice Trip

Speed Craft Challenge Anything Goes with a twist, use a stencil
(After preparing the photos and supplies it took 14 minutes to assemble the layout, the most time consuming portion was coloring the stencil shape)

Simon Says Anything Goes 
Use Your Stuff Challenge Blog #166 Anything Goes

Happy Birthday to my brother!

We are all enjoying the Christmas holiday and spending time with our families and friends.  Most of us are not spending a much time crafting . . . but I did need to make a card for my brother, who has a holiday week birthday.  A quick stop over at Techo Stamper for a nice little sketch and a rummage through my card making kits (left over scraps from past layouts) and I had a card put together in a few minutes.

The papers are My Minds Eye Deena’s Penny Lane paper line from a few years back, brown and cream card stock.   Spellbinders Classic Postage Stamp and Label Twenty Five die cut the edge and sentiment label.  The sentiment by Scrappy Cat, Birthday Wishes is stamped in Colorbox Burnt Sienna. 

This card was inspired by and entered into:

Techno Stamper Sketch TSSC 346

Also entered into the following challenges:
Simon Says Anything Goes
That's Crafty! Anything Goes
Cute Card Thursday
Little Miss Muffet Anything Goes
Little Red Wagon Happy Birthday

Retro Rubber Challenge Blog--An Extra week to Play!

Join us at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog with your favorite creations in Silver, White and Blue with an extended challenge time!

I like most of the crafting world am finding that this is a time to enjoy our families, to create new memories, decorate our homes, and bake our Holiday goodies!  Merry Christmas!

TBT, Angel Season Continues!

Front of card

Unfortunately I did not date the back of this card, but I am guessing I created it around 1998 to 2000 or thereabouts.  You may recognize the stamps from a more recent creation, my Elegant Angel Scarf.

I started with blue card stock trimmed to 6" x 12".  The front is randomly stamped with a Denami Designs Angel image and two different Denami flourish images.  I most likely used Encore Ultimate Metallic Purple and Memories Midnight Blue.  The front image is another Denami Designs Angel image stamped and heat embossed in silver.  The blue card was sprayed with glitter spray made by Krylon. The frame and sentiment panel is Denami silver card stock cut with a Fiskars deckle rotary wheel.  This was before many decorative edge scissors were available.  The sentiment stamp is stamped in Memories Midnight Blue.  The card is scored at 5" and 8 1/2" and accordion folded to make a finished card size of 5 1/2" x 6".   The front panel is adhered in the center and slightly over hangs the front fold.  The sentiment panel is hidden while the card is folded.

Card Unfolded

Even today the simplicity and beauty of this card makes me smile! I hope you enjoy this stroll down memory lane!

Organization, Wafer Thin dies and Embossing Folders

When I first started collecting wafer thin dies and embossing folders I put them in self-made pocket pages and stored them in zippered binders.  It was not easy or convenient to find the die I wanted.  I would have to get the binder, unzip, flip through the pages, pull out the chosen tool, and then reverse the process to put it away.   Meanwhile, during use the binder either needed to be put away OR left lying open on a crafting surface.  The binders also took up valuable shelf space.  So as I researched different ways to store my dies and embossing folders I had a couple of parameters I kept in mind:
 

·      The system needed to be portable and as light as possible.  This precluded using the magnetic sheets and removing the dies from the all of original packaging.  These latching boxes seemed to hold a number of dies, but the manufacturer information would need to be transcribed, or not included.

·      I wanted to easily flip through to find the tool I wanted.  A maximum of three moves to get out the tool to use it.  I read this somewhere . . . and have tried to use this concept as I continue my quest to organize.

·      It needed to be cheap!   So I was not interested in buying multiple DVD or CD cases or a specialty designed notebook.

I found these Sterlite storage boxes in the correct dimensions and went to work.   Almost all of my Spellbinders, Heartfelt Creations, and Quickutz 4" x 4" dies currently fit in one box!  That is about 400 dies or 75 sets.  I used repurposed packaging to make dividers to keep some level of organization.  I kept all of the original packaging cards and replaced the adhesive with adhesive magnetic stripes.  Much lighter than a magnetic sheet and keeps the dies attached to the packaging.  It also helps me know which die I am using because it is on the original packaging.  The new Spellbinders packaging is even better!  Just snip off the plastic hang tag and the pocket holds the dies!

Miscellaneous Sizzix, Quickutz, Elizabeth Craft Designs, Technique Tuesday, and Impression Obsession dies reside in a second Sterlite box.  They are in their provided envelopes, in divided page protectors, or on the packaging with magnetic stripes. 

Grand size Spellbinders are stored in an accordion folder along with a few over-sized Quickutz dies.  The tabs are labeled for quick reference.

My large collection of Quickutz 2” x 2” dies is still stored in the original Quickutz system.   They are categorized by themes.  This system has always worked for me, so why change?

All my embossing folders are in another Sterlite box.  Each has been labeled with the name of the folder in Sharpie pen.  The manufacturer already labels all of the folders.  They are organized by theme and it is much quicker to pull out a folder from a box than it was in the previous system.  My collection numbers right around 100 embossing folders.

These are the systems that work for me right now.  Maybe you will be inspired in your organization process as well!  Stay tuned for the next organization post where I share how I store the wafer thin dies and coordinating stamps.

Retro Rubber Blog Challenge Four, Silver and Blue Color Challenge

It is time to announce the newest challenge over at Retro Rubber Challenge Blog:

The rules are simple:

• Use older stamps. We suggest stamps older than 1 year. 
• Follow the challenge given for the time period.
• Post your creation to your blog or online gallery.  If you use an online gallery, please use the Keyword  RRBC04
• Link back to the blog post using the InLinkz by the January 2nd. 
• Enter as many times as you like.

Our Top Five Favorites - The Fab Five, will be posted on Sunday, January 4th. Our Winner will have the option to play along with a future challenge!


My sample card will be posted here next week.   Come and join the fun!

Elegant Scarf for Anything But a Card Celestial Challenge

Scarves are all the fashion rage right now, and what better way to celebrate a Celestial theme by wearing a few of my favorite stamps?  This is an easy to recreate project, although it can be time consuming if you choose a large scarf like I did!

 

Supplies:  Tsukineko Versa Magic Cloud White, Spring Pansy, Sea Breeze, and Thatched Straw

DeNami Design stamps:  Angel (2) and flourish (2)

PSX stamp:  stars

Baking parchment paper, iron, and ironing board

Black Scarf:  Select a scarf that has fairly smooth surface and is a dense fabric.  Sheer fabrics will work but the stamped images are not as prominent.    

 

1.     Practice stamps on a black piece of card stock to get a sense of spacing.

2.     Iron the scarf to make surface even.  Place a pin to indicate the middle of the scarf.

3.     Prep the ironing board with a sheet of cooking parchment long enough to match the width of the scarf.  Pin in place to the ironing board.

4.     Start at the bottom edge of the scarf and work towards the middle.  Stamp largest images first.  Angels were stamped with Cloud White.  Flourishes were stamped with Spring Pansy and Sea Breeze.  Stars were stamped with Thatched Straw.  (Ink can be removed from the fabric with a baby wipe, if you make a mistake or the edge of the stamp inks the scarf.)

 

5.     Heat set the images in each work section as you go with the iron.  Place a sheet of cooking parchment over images to prevent smearing the ink or transferring ink to the iron.  Even with synthetic fabric, the iron may be on the higher setting, as the parchment will protect the fabric. 

6.     Once you have reached the middle reverse the scarf and repeat until the pattern meets in the middle of the scarf. 

Additional Comments: 

·      Most fabrics can be stamped on both sides without the image bleeding through to the other side.  If desired, repeat stamping images and heat setting the ink. 

·      This technique works best with bold line or solid style stamps that will hold the ink.  Fine lined stamps will not stamp well on the texture of the fabric.  Most scarves are made of synthetic materials and the ink will wash out if laundered. 

·      Locally I only have access to 4 colors of Memento Luxe.  I would like to try this technique using Memento Lux White, Dandelion, Bahama Blue, and Lilac Posies.  

    

Come and play along at Anything But a Card Challenge Blog.  

Christmas Card Blitz Part Cinq

 Peter and his Cub Scout Troop were scheduled to go Christmas Caroling at Saint Charles Hospital . . . and on Thursday evening there was a request to bring a few Christmas cards to hand out to patients during the caroling.  I choose to make a few clean and simple cards inspired by sketches and challenges that use scraps from my Christmas stash.  This is the fifth of five:

Front

Supplies:  Denami silver card stock; Costco pearlized white specialty paper; Recollections Christmas image set ; Tsukineko Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver; Creations Unlimited Silver Satin Pearl embossing powder; Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangles.  

Inside

 

This card was inspired by and entered in the following challenges:

Crafting By Designs Colour Challenge Silver and White

Red Rubber Inspiration #150 Sparkly Holiday Greetings

Speedy Fox and Friends Challenge 242 Round Those Corners

Christmas Card Blitz Part Quatre

 Peter and his Cub Scout Troop were scheduled to go Christmas Caroling at Saint Charles Hospital . . . and on Thursday evening there was a request to bring a few Christmas cards to hand out to patients during the caroling.  I choose to make a few clean and simple cards inspired by sketches and challenges that use scraps from my Christmas stash.  This is the fourth of five:

Supplies:  Canford and Denami silver card stock; Costco glitter embossed mulberry paper and pearlized white specialty paper; Sizzix Peppermint Swirls embossing folder; Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes; Tsukineko Encore Ultimate Metallic Silver; Creations Unlimited Silver Satin Pearl embossing powder; Quickutz presents dies and texture dies—Sparkle, Circles, and Stars.

This card was inspired by and entered in the following challenges:
Techno Stamper Sketch Challenge 344

Crafting By Designs Colour Challenge Silver and White

Red Rubber Inspiration #150 Sparkly Holiday Greetings

Scrap It Girl Let’s Wrap it Up

Selected as Top Three at
Techno Stamper Sketch Challenge 344

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Card Blitz Part Trois

Peter and his Cub Scout Troop were scheduled to go Christmas Caroling at Saint Charles Hospital . . . and on Thursday evening there was a request to bring a few Christmas cards to hand out to patients during the caroling.  I choose to make a few clean and simple cards inspired by sketches and challenges that use scraps from my Christmas stash.  This is the third of five:

Supplies:  Unknown red and green card stock; SEI foil striped paper; Great Impressions Tree image; Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes; Colorbox Evergreen; Iridescent Peacock Glitter embossing powder.

This card was inspired by and entered in the following Challenges:

Red Rubber Inspiration #150 Sparkly Holiday Greetings

Use Your Stuff #165 Red and Green

Repeat Impressions Sketch Challenge D1014
Sweet Stampin' Challenge Oh Christmas Tree

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Card Blitz Part Deux

Peter and his Cub Scout Troop were scheduled to go Christmas Caroling at Saint Charles Hospital . . . and on Thursday evening there was a request to bring a few Christmas cards to hand out to patients during the caroling.  I choose to make a few clean and simple cards inspired by sketches and challenges that use scraps from my Christmas stash.  This is the second of five:

Supplies:  Red and Green card stock; unknown plaid paper; Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes; Tsukineko Memento Luxe Love Letter; Iridescent Peacock Glitter embossing powder; McGill punch Gingerbread Man; Imagine Crafts irResistibile Pico Embellisher Tuxedo Black; Stickles Xmas Red; Liquid Pearls White Opal.

This card was inspired by and entered in the following challenges:

Techno Stamper Sketch Challenge 344

Use Your Stuff #165 Red and Green

Christmas Card Blitz Part Un

Peter and his Cub Scout Troop were scheduled to go Christmas Caroling at Saint Charles Hospital . . . and on Thursday evening there was a request to bring a few Christmas cards to hand out to patients during the caroling.  I choose to make a few clean and simple cards inspired by sketches and challenges that use scraps from my Christmas stash.  This is the first of five:

Supplies:  DCWV paper pack from about 5 years ago; Quickutz:  wreath die, texture dies swirl and flourish;  Colorbox Ruby; Inkadinkado Warm Holiday Wishes; Iridescent Peacock Glitter embossing powder. 

This card was inspired by and entered in the following challenges:

Techno Stamper Sketch Challenge 344

Color Throwdown CTD 322

Thank you for stopping by!

TBT Chalk and Stencil Angel

Circa 1997

The season for Angels continues!  This wonderful image is a series of three stencils that are colored with chalks.  She is simple and understated.  The card is finished with decorative corner rounder by McGill and rounded corners on the base card.  I really should get this lovely stencil set out and play with it again!

Organization, Stamp Organization That Is!

It is December and we are nearing the end of the year!  Not only do we have the wonderful time of sharing with family and friends the joy of Christmas; but we also look ahead to the New Year.  I have noticed after the Christmas holiday there are not only clearance sales, but also sales on all kinds of organization and storage options.  The retail industry wants to “assist” us in our quest to met our New Year’s Resolutions.  For me the battle of staying organized in my stamp room is on going!  I would still like to share what is working for me, and perhaps you can glean a few ideas to make your own!  I have never had a magazine worthy craft room, but do feel very blessed to have the space to create to my heart’s content.  My furniture and storage is mostly repurposed, with a few purchased shelves and many Iris and Sterlite drawers and containers.   

Sterlite Drawers and Plastic File Boxes

I have used a variety of methods to store my stamps.  Over the past 18 years I have collected wood mounted stamps, unmounted rubber stamps (mostly at conventions), and polymer stamps.  I recently converted to new Sterlite drawers and went on a purge and organize spree.  Part of my wood mounted stamps are still on the wood for sentimental reasons and are stored in plastic Sterlite drawers.   The only disadvantage seems to be if I don't know what image I want to use I need to look in two places as unmounted stamps are stored in hanging files inside a plastic file box.  

The unmounted rubber stamps may or may not have rubber cushion, in either case I used Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over on the back.  A thin but thorough coat spread with a small paintbrush and allowed to cure, usually overnight will do the trick.  I stamped a reference image on white card stock and wrote the name of the manufacturer and date of purchase (if known) next to the image.  I fortunately have this information for most of my unmounted stamps.  I will admit I am missing a few.  These are stored on 8 1/2" x 11" page protectors. The reference card stock and 8 1/2" x 11" chipboard provide stability.  On the edge with the holes I write which images are stored on that sheet.  Categories like Nature, Birthday sentiments, or Boy images are stored together.  Be forewarned though that the Aleene’s will need to be renewed after 10 or 12 years, or on the stamps that get more use! 

Polymer stamps are stored in 8 1/2" x 11" pocket pages.  Some pocket pages are purchased, others are self-made.  I insert a 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" piece of chipboard into the protector and stitch just above it with a sewing machine.  I cut a slit with a craft knife and metal ruler and viola two pockets!  To close the top of the pockets I use low tack painter’s tape.  Since these tend to be unstable I place them in thin vinyl prong folders that are readily available during back-to-school season.  The top edge is labeled with the theme and stored in hanging file folders in my plastic file boxes.

Before method and the sticky mess during!

 Recently I went through and unmounted all the self-mounted wood stamps and foam-mounted stamps from early in my stamping years.  The foam mounted needed a little trimming with my Tonic scissors, which are fantastic for cutting rubber.  I used the microwave method for some, be careful to not burn your fingers!  For others I used Undo.  It was a sticky mess for a while!  I re-organized my unmounted stamps into better categories during this process.

The process for a sentiment foam mounted set.

A future posts will describe how I store wafer thin dies and stamps that match wafer thin dies!  I hope this has encouraged you in your organization process and you will find a system that works for you!

December Sketch Challenge at Retro Rubber

There is still time to play over at the Retro Rubber Challenge Blog using the following sketch:

The rules are simple:

• Use older stamps. We suggest stamps older than 1 year. 
• Follow the challenge given for the time period.
• Post your creation to your blog or online gallery.  If you use an online gallery, please use the Keyword  RRBC03
• Link back to the blog post using the InLinkz by the December 12th. 
• Enter as many times as you like.

Our Top Five Favorites - The Fab Five, will be posted on Sunday, December 14th. Our Winner will have the option to play along with a future challenge!
Come and join the fun!

Happy Anniversary to my Dear Husband

I have a wonderful holiday to celebrate this week!  It is the Tenth Anniversary of my marriage to my Dear Husband, Greg.  It has been a wonderful journey as my best friend and our children continually bless me.  We have gone through transitions with our business, my employment, the adoption of two great kids from Russia, the purchase of a new home, and sending a daughter off to college.

To celebrate this Anniversary I have created a clean and simple card inspired by a sketch and a few other challenges.

 

How To:

1.     I started with a Halcraft 6-Bar cream (my version of Very Vanilla) card base.  I have a stash of these to start a quick cards.

2.     Brown (an interpretation of Baked Brown Sugar) card stock was trimmed to 4 ¾” x 6 ¼”.   Using Spellbinders Grand Ovals 5 the center for the brown card stock was removed.  Then the brown card stock was pressure embossed with Darice Damask Background embossing folder. 

3.     Using a scrap of red (perhaps almost Cherry Cobbler?) cardstock I die cut Spellbinders Grand Ovals 4 and 6 together to make an inner oval frame.

4.     Using the same red card stock the Quickutz by LifeStyle Crafts Heart Doily was die cut.  This is a tricky die that needs to be run through the machine a number of times, then the holes poked out of the Doily.  However the finished product is lovely!

5.     The red oval inner frame is adhered to the brown card stock and then to the front of the card.

6.     The “Happy Anniversary” sentiment from Boxer Scrapbooking is stamped in Tsukineko Versa Magic Sahara Sand.

7.     Searching through my stash I found three suitable charms.  Artistic Wire 26 gauge in Gold was wound around a handy cup to shape the circle.  The charms are threaded onto the wire.  A few strategic glue dots hold the wire and charms in place. 

8.     The Heart Doily is adhered with carefully trimmed dimensional foam to add a little dimension.

This card was inspired by the following challenges:

Paper Pal Arts Color Challenge PPA 230

Aud Sentiments Holiday Bingo Card (An anniversary is a holiday in my book!)  Diagonal row including Embossing, Rubber Stamp, and Charms

Top Three at
Techno Stamper TSSC343

Thank you for stopping by!