The Bon Appetit Menu - stamps and aging techniques

I had so much fun making cards with the Bon Appetit collection.  I was a bit stumped how to use the menu stamp, but the sentiment that goes along with the collection gave me the inspiration.

Start by inking the menu stamp - I used the Club Scrap india ink for a super dark black that won't run when I start aging the menu.

I want my menu to look aged, so I dab a cloth randomly on some different areas of the stamp.

I love how this looks after stamping.

Now, the fun begins!  Tear the paper to create a lovely aged effect.

Spray with whatever mists you have on hand that give that lovely aged appearance.  My sprayer wasn't working well, so I got these lovely spots that were perfect.

I used some distress inks to add some depth to my color.

Use a bamboo skewer (or whatever you have on hand!) to roll the edges up a bit.

I added some ink to the exposed areas from the backside and a little ribbon "clostheline," compete with closteh pins (I used half of the pin to add a little less dimension).

All stamps and paper from the Club Scrap Bon Appetit collection.

Hope you are enjoying the summer.  We're still knee deep in our remodeling project.  Should be great when it's done!

Kissing my stamps

Well, not really....

Kissing is a technique I don't do a lot with my stamps, but I thought it would be perfect with this striped stamp from the Club Scrap Bon Appetit kit.  Start by inking a stamp - I inked the striped stamp that is mounted on my grid ruler.

Kiss the inked striped stamp to the second stamp - a brocade pattern.

Stamp on your paper.

You now have a lovely stripe, but with a subtle pattern.  I liked this better than the bold stripes on their own.

Repeat until you have covered the entire panel - using the grid ruler helps you to line up all of the stripes nicely.

On the front of the card, I used the brocade pattern in a contrasting color to bring that out more boldly, and finished it off with a sentiment and a few little embellishments.  An easy way to make your stamps go further!

All stamps and paper from Club Scrap's Bon Appetit collection - and I used their lovely hybrid inks too (great for any surface).

Since this is the height of summer and we're knee deep in a remodeling project, my posts will be a little infrequent from here on out.  I should be back on a regular schedule in September after classes start again.

One technique - three cards

Club Scrap invited me to be the guest blogger this week, and I thought it would be fun to show you more of the techniques I used to create the Greeting to Go cards this month.  Over on their blog, you'll see one technique two ways, and here I'll show you how I made three cards with one technique.

I started by putting some distress ink (Vintage Photo, Peeled Paint, and Weathered Wood) on my Ranger non-stick craft sheet.

Spritz with water to get the colors to blend - wow do they pop after a bit of water!  I put my stamp on a grid ruler so lining it up would be easy while stamping.

Press your stamp in the "ink pad" on your craft sheet, and ink away!

I kept rotating the stamp and cleaning it so the pattern wouldn't be uniform.

I added a little more ink, but less water to create a second panel.  Adjusting the water can really change the stamped image.  I like both of these, but they definitely look different.

For my first card, I cut a lot of circles with a punch.

The edges were inked with vintage photo distress ink to give a bit more depth.  My handy grid ruler helped me find the center of the panel:

And to align the rest of the circles.  This part was inspired by another blog post using circles on a card.

To make the edges a bit glitzy, I rubbed versamark ink onto the edges, and then sprinkled gold embossing powder over the edges.

Add a bow, and you're done!

To create the other two cards, I die cut pieces from the paper to fit stamps.

These images were embossed with copper embossing powder.

A little distress ink on the edges helps to add depth.

Add some embellishments and a greeting, and you've got two more great cards.

I love how this kit can be used for vintage-y feeling cards, as well as for bright and cheerful cards.  Check out the Club Scrap blog on Wednesday to see a totally different vibe for the stamps and paper from the Bon Appetit collection.

Happy Father's Day

My dad loves trains, so I made him a train-centric card for Father's Day.

Except for the train, all stamps are from Club Scrap's Orient Express collection.  Paper and the train stamp are from Stampin' Up!  I colored the frame image with colored pencils, and then blended the pencils with gamsol/low odor thinner.  It's an easy way to blend the color, and get a really nice variation in shading.

Hope you had a great day with your fathers.  If mine reads my blog, I love you!

Next week's post will be a bit delayed, but well worth the wait!  Check back on June 27th for a special surprise and some great card making techniques.

Happy Anniversary - Cards with Love

Paul and I recently celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary, and as we do for most big events, we made each other cards.

Paul loves to quill, and this year, he used my heart dies to cut a lovely background for a dragonfly.

Since the heart dies were new, I was excited to use them, too.  I folded a sheet of paper in half, and die cut the paper so that part of the fold was inside the die.  On the outside, I adhered a piece of the embellishments from the Dream in Color kit before cutting the die. The script stamp in the background is part of the "Love is kind..." bible verse from our wedding.

Here, you can see the inside of the card with the hinge.  On the left, I used mirror card and embellishments from the Club Scrap Dream in Color kit.  The bride and groom stamp is from Hero Arts, and we used that for our wedding favors. The right has another heart, with a stamp and handwritten love note to Paul.

It's always fun to see what we come up with.  I love seeing how Paul uses basically the same materials to make a totally unique card.

If you missed our previous cards, you can check them out:

• Christmas 2011
• My Christmas card for Paul in 2010 - a tag tutorial
• Anniversary cards in 2010
• Anniversary cards in 2009

Most of the paper in the cards is from Club Scrap.  The heart die is from Stampin' Up! along with the little girl stamp on front.

A dozen cards in a jiffy

I love being creative and spending hours making a few cards, but I don't always have time for that.  On those days, Club Scrap comes to the rescue, with card making directions to make a bunch of cards with just a few sheets of paper.  Just like this one:

I used the instructions from Club Scrap's recent post, turned it ninety degrees, and shifted the components just a bit.  I also like to mat my images, so I used the scraps from the pattern and some extra scraps I had to create the pieces to stamp on.

The paper for these cards comes from Stampin' Up! (grey), and Club Scrap (Science - black & gold, Musical Interlude - maroon). The stamp on this one is from Scholarship - this would be great for those end-of-year teacher notes.

When you don't have a lot of time to craft, but need to make a bunch of cards, check out the Assembly Line Card Making deck - 52 ideas in one handy box (Volume 1 and Volume 2).

Quick Card: Inspired by washi tape

I was inspired by a card I saw on Britta Swiderski's blog, where she uses washi tape as a background for a greeting.  I haven't quite got into the washi tape craze (I don't think having one roll counts!), but I thought this would be great for border stickers.

It's bright and cheery, and used up two sheets of stickers from Stampin' Up! that had been crying out to be used.  Oh, and they were Christmas stickers - pretty cool multi-tasking!  I'm betting this would also be great with those scraps of patterned paper we always seem to have, too.

This is another busy week at the day job - big things are coming up.  If you wouldn't mind sending a little pixie dust or a good thought my way, I can certainly use them this week!

Vacation inspiration for card-making

One of the best things about traveling is finding a new stamping or scrapbooking store.  In Door County, there is a lovely stamping/scrapbooking store that features local stamps that they make.  I found this great postage stamp and made this card for a friend at work with it.

My co-worker loves pink, and recently lost someone dear to her.  I hope she likes it.

The flowers and postage marks are from some older Club Scrap stamps that are no longer available.  The paper, in keeping with my "quick card" theme from last week, is some bazzill paper that was on my desk. I've almost used it all up!  It's lovely, but time to use it - or lose it!

Local scrapbook stores, particularly those that make their own stamps, are becoming more rare every day. If you have the chance to patronize one online or in person, take the opportunity.

Everybody needs a break..

This weekend, I spent some relaxing time with my husband in a B&B in Door County, Wisconsin. Nothing is better than spending some time with my sweetie.

But, that means I really didn't craft this weekend, and I don't have anything new to share with projects this week.  I can share some great news, though!

My fossils books was accepted to be in the North of the 45th Parallel exhibit at the DeVos Art Museum in Marquette, MI.  Last year, I did a multi-part blog tutorial about the making of a similar book, and I'm in the process of working up this technique as a PDF tutorial and class for the Copper Country Community Arts Center, too.

My other great news is that I'm going to be featured in a book about paper!  Ann Martin from All Things Paper invited me to participate, and since it has now gone to the publisher, I can now announce the project!  I'll keep you posted as things progress.

Hope you all enjoy a lovely week with a little break if you need one.  Don't we all need a little break to rejuvenate the spirit?

More fun with pockets in books

I was on a roll when I started making books with pockets, so I couldn't resist making another one.

I love how using a niche in the front allows me to use brads and elements that might stick up a little bit. These sparkly flowers don't have to lie flat for this book, and they won't get damaged as the book is slid on and off a shelf.

Open the book up, and you'll find large pockets for additional pages.

The book is hand-sewn with waxed linen thread over ribbons.

This book would make a great teacher's gift. Think about giving the white pages to the students to decorate, and then including some favorite pictures on the other pages. The bright colors definitely give a cheery end-of-the-year feel to the book!

All papers and embellishments from Club Scrap.  The cover paper was "aged" with white pigment ink to create a really unique look.

A Graduation Celebration - plus quick card tips

This week, I needed a quick card for a friend who just earned her graduate degree.  Here's my card for her:

You might notice it shares some similarities to last week's post.....  I am so busy this week at work with graduation that I didn't really have time to just play for a while and come up with the perfect card.

So, what do you do when you're too busy to make a card but need one?  This is what I do:

• Use what's on my desk.  Invariably, I have scraps left over from other projects, and these often end up being my favorite cards.
• Be inspired by what's around you.  The sun is shining, and I feel like spring! My graduation cards usually match the school colors, but that wasn't getting me excited about crafting this week.
• Use some pre-cut pieces - when I made my last set of cards, I pre-cut some additional cards and panels that didn't work for that project, but they were perfect for this card.
• Finally, don't reinvent the wheel - I jumped on the banner bandwagon last week, so I'm staying on it for a while!
• Start with a kit.  I didn't do that on this project, but if I'm stuck for time, I just follow the instructions.  Creativity will show up when it needs to!
• Use something new - the baker's twine just arrived in the mail, so I'm using it!

Everything this week is from Club Scrap:

• Paper - Birds of a Feather and Tilescapes (blue mat)
• Ink - Tilescapes
• Baker's Twine - Come Sail Away
• Stamps - Graduation and English Garden (year) (no longer available)