Tutorial Tuesday!!

Hello, My Friends!

It's Tutorial Tuesday!! Need a quick card that matches with ANY Stamps of Life stamp set?! Here's a SUPER CUTE tutorial by our fabulous Design Team member Jeanne!!!

Ribbon Background

By Jeanne Streiff

Here is a fun way to make a textured background with your ribbon scraps.

Make your card back and attach strips of ribbon. I used a ATG gun to attach my ribbon.

Trim ribbon edges to fit your card.

Finish your card:

SO cute!! You can of course use ANY stamp set or to go with this card. The combinations are endless :)

Supplies:

Ribbon: Really Reasonable Ribbon (7/8″ Black Gingham, White Corsage Ribbon, Black Double Ruffles, White Pleated Satin)

Stamps: The Stamps of Life (guitars2play)
Cardstock: DiscountCardstock.com (Classic Crest Solar White, Bazzill Dotted Swiss Blissful)
Inks: Clearsnap Premium Dye ink (Guava)
Other: Diamond Stickles

Happy Stamping!!

Two Techniques, One Card!

Hello, My Friends!

Today I have a video to share with you that includes two techniques on one card!  Here's the card...

Check out the video....

Products Used:

Sizzix Movers & Shapers L Die - Card, Majestic Flip-its

Sizzix Framelits Die Set 6PK - Labels, Majestic #2

Sizzix Framelits Die Set 9PK w/Stamps - Word Labels

Other:

Inks:  ColorBox Premium Dye Ink by Stephanie Barnard

Paper:  My Mind's Eye

Adhesive:  Therm O Web

button, ribbon

Happy Stamping!

Contest and Incredible Tutorial!

Hello, My Friends!

I have two things to share with you today....

1.  It's contest time....we will be releasing our next episode of a 30 Second Card {in five minutes!} on Friday.....guess my time for a chance to win your choice of stamp set ($12.95 value).  Just leave a comment on this blog post....PLEASE visit the blog to leave your comment.  Emailed entries will not be entered.

2.  I have an incredible tutorial by Design Team Member, Anna Wight to share with you today....You will LOVE it!!!!

 

Emboss Resist Tutorial    by Anna Wight

When I saw the gum4backgrounds stamp from The Stamps of Life, it immediately made me think of a fun technique called emboss resist. So, I thought I would use the large background stamp to share with you a photo tutorial on how to do the emboss resist technique using the Stephanie Barnard color Sprays!.


Here is a detail photo of the panel I created using the emboss resist technique. Let me show you how it's done!


The supplies you'll need are watercolor paper, embossing ink, embossing powder in white or clear, water, several color sprays, a waterproof craft surface, a heat tool, and of course the stamp.


Start by embossing the stamp image onto watercolor paper using embossing ink and an embossing powder.


You can use white or clear embossing powder, or even a clear based irridescent powder. The powder I chose is irridescent and has a bit of sparkle to it as well. Beautiful, and really adds to the "bubble" look of the stamp image.


Spray your waterproof craft surface with a couple of spritzes of each spray color, overlapping them slightly, but not completely. I chose to use two different blue sprays as well as a bit of purple, for a nice complimentary color palette. Spray water onto the colors until your colors start to form slightly larger pools of color.


Next, lightly spray the embossed side of your watercolor paper with water. This step preps the paper fibers for absorbing the color sprays. Once your paper is dampened with water, set your watercolor paper (embossed side face down) into the pools of color. Press the paper onto the crafting surface so you get color on the entire surface of the paper.


Lift the watercolor paper from the crafting surface to reveal the color. You can see how the embossed area resists the color, and leaves you with a beautiful pattern.


Using a heat tool, dry the watercolor paper to set the ink colors. If you like the results, you can be finished with the coloring stage... or, you can take it a bit further!


To add more color, tap the dried paper down into the remaining pools of color, adding a random assortment of spots to the surface of the paper. Tap randomly, into big spots and little spots. When you're happy with the additional splotches, heat set your paper again to dry the ink.


You can repeat this process until you're happy with the results.


The Stephanie Barnard Sprays! have wonderful, intense color payoff, and blend together beautifully! I was thrilled by how they took to the watercolor paper. I trimmed my dyed paper to size and assembled my card.


One more thing ... you could simply clean up your craft surface with paper towels, but don't let that left over color on your craft surface go to waste! Use the left over color to make hand dyed ribbon! This is white seam binding ribbon that I used to wipe up my crafting surface after I was finished coloring my paper. Once I had the ink all wiped up with the ribbon, I gave the ribbon a couple spritzes with water to help soften the edges of the inks, and then set the ribbon aside to dry. Now I have some beautiful hand dyed ribbon to use on future projects.

I hope you try out this technique. It's super easy, and so FUN to watch the color transform the white paper (and ribbon!) into a beautiful, one of a kind, surface.

Supplies:
Stamps: gum4background and bubblegum4me by The Stamps of Life
Ink: VersaMark, Black StazOn, Stephanie Barnard Color Sprays in Blueberry, Sky, and Grape
Paper: Fabriano Watercolor, Neenah
Other: bakers twine, button, tracing wheel, Transparent Embossing Powder, heat tool, craft mat, white seam binding ribbon


Thanks so much, Anna!

Friends, don't forget to enter our 'Time Guessing' Contest...leave a comment on THIS blog post.  :)

Shape Changing Chicks: Tutorial

Hello, My Friends!

I have a FABULOUS tutorial to share with you today!  Design Team Member, Anna Wight is so sweet to share it with us.

When I first saw this card, I think I let out a little scream!  It's adorable and I'm thrilled that Anna is letting me share it with you all!


Here, in Anna's words is the tutorial.....

Earlier this week I posted this "four cute chicks" card and wrote about how I was able to create the various body shapes for the chicks. Since then, I've had several questions and requests for more details on how I was able to create the various body shapes using the same stamp, so I thought I'd put together a quick "how to" in photos. Hope this is helpful!

For my supplies, I'm using the Eggs4Easter set by The Stamps of Life, a clear block, an image mask (made from a sticky note), and ink for stamping.

What makes this shape changing technique possible is the unique way the chick stamp was made. The center of the stamp is not filled with polymer, which allows it to be shaped differently than it's original shape. If the stamp's center was filled with polymer (like most clear stamps are), it would not be possible to change the chick's shape.
Let me show you how!

Place the chick stamp on a clear block, ink the image, and stamp the chick in it's original shape. Also stamp the chick on a sticky note and cut it out to create the image mask needed for the next steps.

Adjust the shape of the chick on the clear block and ink it for stamping. See how the open area in the center of the chick's body allows the reshaping? If this area was filled in with polymer, the body shape would not be able to be changed.

With the sticky note mask placed over the first stamped image (mine is white with a red and yellow dot), stamp the second (taller) chick in place. By covering up the first stamped image with the image mask, you are preventing the ink of the second image from overlapping the first image.

Once again reshape the stamp on the block. This time make him shorter and, well, plumper! Again, it's that open center of the image that's allowing it to be reshaped.

With the mask still in place over the first stamped image, stamp the third chick in place.

Remove the mask to reveal your grouping.

Finish building your chicks with other stamp images provided in the set, masking as needed. I masked their bodies while stamping the legs, so I could adjust the length of the legs and not risk getting ink in their bodies.

On my original card I used this technique to stamp an original shaped chick, two tall chicks, and added a fourth plump chick that was stamped on a separate sheet of paper, cut out, and adhered to my card using foam adhesive for a bit of dimension.
While it's not always possible to reshape stamps like this since most of the time the centers are filled edge to edge with polymer, keep your eye out for possibilities of when you can! Sentiments are easily changed from straight lines to curves, so keep that in mind, too!


Supplies:

eggs4Easter by The Stamps of Life

Ink: Black Memento, Antique Linen Distress Ink by Ranger, Dusty Durango by Stampin' Up!
ShinHan Touch Twin markers: Y36, YR31, YR32, R3, R2, GY175, 0, CG.5
Paper: Neenah, Bo Bunny
Other: Prismacolor Pencil (Kelp Green), button, baker's twine, tracing wheel

Anna, thanks so much for sharing this amazing tutorial with us!  I can't wait to see what you come up with next!  :)  (and welcome to our Design Team!)

Happy Stamping!