Reflections

Good Morning

Meet today's card using the same great Heron stamp from Magenta that I used the other day.

I wanted to try a new technique for the background so I thought this stamp would work perfectly with it.

I don't know about you, but I am often inspired while watching TV shows.  On one of them, I saw a painting in the background that got me thinking.  Basically, the saturation of colour was in the center and then spread out from there.  I put on my thinking cap and tried to figure out how to recreate that look.

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I began by cutting a piece of Yupo paper.  For anyone who is unfamiliar with Yupo, it is a plastic coated paper used with inks.  
• I took out some Ranger Alcohol inks and Ranger Blending Solution. Colours:  I'm guessing...Sailboat blue, pool and lettuce by Ranger. I need to get better at writing down the colours. When I get time to create, I just getting into a creating mode and forget!
• I squeezed a line of the Blending Solution down the center of my Yupo, dropped on some Alcohol inks and using an old gift card, dragged the colours upwards on the panel.
• I repeated that process again with more Blending Solution and Alcohol inks but this time, pulled the inks downwards.  Very simple process.  I just kept doing that until I was happy with the coverage.
• The inks dries almost instantly so it was easy to move onto the next step.
• I placed the panel into my Misti and stamped the Heron along the center of the panel with some Archival Black ink.
• I glued the panel onto a piece of navy cardstock, then onto a white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

We Love Stamping- ANYTHING STAMPED OPTION WINGS

Addicted to Stamps and More- MAKE YOUR MARK

CASology- RENEW

(take a deep breathe, try something new and look ahead hopefully)

Supplies

Stamps- Reflective Blue Heron (Magenta)

Inks- Ranger AI; Archival Black

Paper- Yupo (Amazon); white cardstock (Scribes Nook- Waterloo, Ont.)

Accessories and Tools- old gift card; Ranger Blending Solution; Misti (My Sweet Petunia)

Hello

 

Happy Hello to you!

Meet today's card.

A pretty simple one done with a piece of Yupo paper that I had previously inked up and stuck in my stash....you know, the one that didn't quite work for what you were doing.  

I decided to transform it.

So here's what I did to create my card.

• I began with a piece of Yupo paper and dropped some red and blue Ranger Alcohol inks (sorry I don't know what colours I used as I did this a long time and it's been sitting in my stash) onto the paper.  I used some Blending Solution to help move the colours around. 
• I pulled out this stencil from The Crafter's Workshop called Mini Joyful Sunflower and placed it over the inked background.
• Using a paper towel and some Ranger Alcohol Lifting ink, I pressed over the stencil, removing the ink from the background over the stencil.
• I lifted the stencil off to reveal the image.  I used a bit of Rubbing Alcohol to clean off my stencil, then washed it off with soap and water to remove any residue.
• After it dried, I glued it onto a piece of white cardstock, then onto some red and then onto a white card base.
• I wanted to keep the sentiment very simple and not cover up the flower.  I remembered I had my Dad's old Dymo Letter Printer so I got that out.  I can't believe it still works 50 yrs later!!!!  I printed out the 'Hello' and glued it to the front of my card.

Thanks so very much for coming by and taking a look.

I'm so, so sorry that I am way behind at visiting your blogs.  I am feeling swamped with my 5 little daycare ones at the moment and finding it hard to spend much time on social media.  

I will get there though so thanks for hanging in there with me.

Supplies

Stamps- none

Inks- Ranger AI inks, Ranger AI Lifting ink

Paper- Yupo (Amazon); heavy white (Scribes Nook- Waterloo, Ont.)

Accessories and Tools- stencil (TCW); Dymo Letter Printer; paper towels; Blending Solution 

Big Hugs

 

Happy Saturday!

As some of you know, I have been playing around with a salad spinner and my Ranger Alcohol inks.

It is a super fun technique to try with lots of possibilities.

I also just got this new die from Lawn Fawn and wanted to try and use it on my card.

So here's what I did to create my card.....I've included a little video as well so you can see what I did.

I got my salad spinner at the Dollarama Store for $4.

• I began by cutting a piece of Yupo paper 3 3/4" x 5".  For those of you that don't know what Yupo is, it is a plastic coated paper used with Alcohol inks.  The ink sits on the surface of the paper and doesn't soak in.  That way, you are able to move the inks around and they dry super quick too.

These are some of the backgrounds I created with this technique.  As you can see, I ended up using the one on the bottom left.

• I placed the piece of Yupo paper inside the bottom of the salad spinner.  My spinner has open areas on the sides so my paper just fit in there perfectly.  You could also secure it with a piece of tape if needed.
• I dropped some Ranger Alcohol ink onto the Yupo paper, sprayed with some Rubbing Alcohol and placed the lid on top. 

CAUTION!!

Do not spray Ranger Blending Solution as it is a resin and is harmful if inhaled.  

My Rubbing Alcohol came in a spray bottle and is ok to spray.  

I did use some Blending Solution on the red and green sample above, but I just dropped some on the paper instead of spraying it on.

• After securing the lid, I spun away.  The fun part is opening the lid....a different surprise every time! If you are not happy with how your print has turned out, just add more rubbing alcohol or drop on some Blending Solution and spin again.  You will get different results depending on what you are using to blend with.

• When I was happy with the inking, I set it aside to dry.
• I took out the newly released die called Sending Big Hugs and die-cut it out 3 times.  
• Since I thought using the whole die cut on my card panel covered up too much, I altered it by cutting off the 'sending' part of the die.
• I glued them all on top of each other so they would be raised on the surface of my card.
• I wanted to add a bit of colour to the die, so I inked it up along the bottom edges using some Tumbled Glass and some Salty Ocean Distress Oxide inks and a finger dabber.
• I glued the Yupo paper onto a piece of white cardstock, then onto a white card base.  
• I pop dotted the sentiment over the background and then added a matching blue button over the 'i'.

If you are interested, I previously posted 2 other cards showing this technique.

GOOD VIBES

SPECIAL THANKS

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look

Have a great weekend.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says Wed.- ANYTHING GOES

Send A Smile 4 Kids- CARDS FOR DADS

Supplies

Stamps- none

Inks- Distress Oxides (listed above); Alcohol inks

Paper- Yupo, heavy white (Scribes Nook-Waterloo, Ontario)

Accessories and Tools- salad spinner, Ranger Blending Solution, Rubbing Alcohol, die- Lawn Fawn, pop dots

Christmas Cheer

Good Morning

Meet today's card.  A pretty simple one using Alcohol inks on Yupo paper.

Using some simple designs to create cards at this time of year is good.

So here's what I did to create my card.

I wanted my card to feel very traditional so I grabbed a piece of Yupo paper and dropped red and green Ranger Alcohol inks onto it, blending it with alcohol. When I was happy with the blends, I set it aside to dry.  

Next, I die cut the cover plate on a piece of heavy white cardstock.  I have no idea who makes this one as I bought it at a Garage Sale.  I glued that over my inked bkg.

I placed this stamp from Penny Black from the Festive Cheer set, inked it up with some Versamark and gold heat embossed it.  I love the large sentiment for the center of a card. I fussy cut it out and glued it onto a piece of gold cardstock.

I pop dot mounted that over the bkg.

I added it onto a heavy white cardbase.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenge:

Craft Stamper Magazine- TAKE IT/MAKE IT

Aud Sentiments- CHRISTMAS/WINTER SENTIMENT

Crafting by Design- ANYTHING GOES

Supplies

Stamps- Festive Cheer (PB)

Ink- Versamark; Alcohol inks in red and green

Paper- Yupo; gold cs; red cs; heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Cuttlebug; Misti (My Sweet Petunia); cover plate (?); pop dots; alcohol

Merry Everything

Good Morning and Welcome.

Meet today's card.

Playing with some new releases from Penny Black.  I really like this Snowflake Tag die as it cuts the outer edge and the inside so you are able to use each on it's own or switch it up like I did.

You could really make some wonderful Christmas tags but I decided to use it as an element on my card instead of a tag today.

So here's what I did to create my card.

For the background I wanted a frosty look, so using  a piece of Yupo, I dropped Alcohol inks over the paper and added Rubbing Alcohol and Blending Solution to help the colour move and blend on the paper until I was happy with the look.

As that dried, I die-cut the inside of the snowflake from a leftover piece of cardstock that I had inked up with Brushos.  I like to keep my leftovers as they come in handy for die cutting.

I die-cut the outside edge on the white then fit them back together again, gluing them onto a small piece of white cardstock across the back you can't see, for stability.  I also cut away the hook at the top.  

Using a piercing tool, I pierced the rectangle frame to one side for interest and glued the snowflake over that side.

I stamped the sentiment from the Thrill of Hope set with Versamark onto the black cardstock and silver heat embossed it.  I glued the card front to a heavy white card base then pop dotted the sentiment over the snowflake.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More- ANYTHING GOES

Craft Stamper Magazine- MAKE IT TAKE IT 

Love to Create- ANYTHING GOES MIXED MEDIA

Supplies

Stamps- Thrill of Hope (PB)

Inks- Versamark; Alcohol inks (Ranger)

Paper- Yupo; heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Snowflake Tag (PB); Misti (My Sweet Petunia); 

silver eb powder (Lawn Fawn); Cuttlebug; Brushos; Blending Solution (Ranger); 

Piercing tool

Something New- The Flower Challenge

Good Morning

Time for a new theme to play along with at 

The Flower Challenge

Please check out the wonderful creations from our DT's this month.

Where did January go?

Time just flies by but we are hoping that maybe? you got some new goodies for Christmas or picked up a few new things at the 'Boxing Day' sales and are ready to use them.

So onto my card.

I got this great Dandelion die from my son for Christmas and wanted to feature it on my card.  I decided to create an alcohol inked background to help best feature the beautiful design of this die.

I began with a piece of Yupo paper and dropped some blues and purples over the paper.  I helped move the colours and blend them using some Ranger Blending solution, a straw to blow air over the piece and a Q-tip dipped in the solution.

When I was happy with the way it looked, I set it aside to dry a bit.  

I wanted to add some extra interest to the background, so I searched in my stamp stash to find a similar stamp that would match the die.  I then placed the piece inside my Misti, inked up the stamp with some TH Alcohol Lifting ink and pressed onto my inked background.  I let that dry, then rubbed off the ink with a clean cloth.
I stamped the sentiment using some Archival ink and then glued on the Dandelion die.
The finishing touch was to add a drop of Nuvo drops to the flower heads.
I simply mounted the whole piece onto a white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:
Little Red Wagon- WINTER BLUES

Simon Says Wed.- ANYTHING GOES

Supplies
Stamps- sentiment from the Sketched Flowers Set (SSS); Wildflower (Unity)
Inks- Archival Black (Ranger); TH Alcohol Lifting ink; Alcohol inks (Ranger)
Paper- Yupo; heavy white for base
Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); Dandelion die (Poppy Stamps); Blue Lagoon 
Nuvo Drops; Cuttlebug; Ranger Blending Solution; straw; Qtip

On another note....
I want to thank Craft Stamper Magazine once again, for publishing one of my cards.

You can find it in this new February issue and it comes with a very cute free heart stamp.

Festive Greetings

Happy Saturday!

Calling this one Festive Greetings.  

I thought with the vibrant alcohol inked background and the gold die-cuts, it felt very festive.

I began by creating the background using the traditional colours, red and green for Christmas.

I dropped some red Ranger Alcohol inks onto Yupo paper and then some green and watched the colours blend.  To help move the colours around, I use a Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Fillable pen and added dots and lines around the edges where the colours met. The pen has two different sized tips and is great for adding details with the Blending Solution on the Yupo.  I then set that aside to dry.

I die-cut the deer and the sentiment from some gold paper and then glued them over the inked background.  

Instead of using a whole sheet of the gold to mount the finished piece onto, I rubbed my Versamark pad along the edges of some heavy white cardstock and then I heat embossed it with gold powder.

I glued it onto a white card base and done.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says Wed.- ANYTHING GOES

Alphabet Challenge- "R" REINDEER

Crafting By Design- CHRISTMAS

Supplies

Stamps- none

Inks- Ranger Alcohol ink; Versamark

Paper- Yupo, heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Jingle die (STAMPlorations); Deer Die (Memory Box); 

TH Alcohol Ink Refillable Pen; Cuttlebug; Gold Eb powder; Ranger Blending Solution

Birthday Wishes- The Flower Challenge

Good Morning

Time for another card for
The Flower Challenge.

Our theme this month is 'A Special Occasion'.

I created a birthday card for the theme.  I am always in need of cards to celebrate birthdays.

I was playing around with some Canon photo paper and applied some Ranger Alcohol inks to the paper using a piece of plastic wrap.  By scrunching up the plastic wrap, dabbing it into the ink and then onto the paper, you are left with an interesting textured looking background.

I wanted to compare the photo paper to using Yupo.  They both have a shiny surface but with the photo paper, I found the ink didn't move after applied even if I dropped on some Blending Solution or some Rubbing Alcohol.  By using the plastic wrap, I was able to get a mottled look instead of blobs of colour.

I die-cut the scalloped edge frame from Your Next Stamp and the flowers from Poppystamp.

I glued the alcohol inked bkg behind the frame and then added the flowers.  I stamped the sentiment then pop dotted the framed piece over that.

Thanks for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies

Stamps- Happy Birthday (Studio G)

Inks- Wilted Violet Distress (TH)= Ranger Alcohol ink

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)= Canon Photo Paper

Accessories and Tools- Scalloped Stitched Frame (YNS)= Misti (My Sweet Petunia)= 

Meadow Flower die (Poppystamps)= plastic kitchen wrap= pop dots= Cuttlebug

Sparkle and Shine- The Flower Challenge

Good Morning.

Time for more fun at 

The Flower Challenge

Since we are celebrating our 2nd year, there are some fun prizes to be won by adding 'Sparkle' to your card.

So onto my card details.

I picked up some Alcohol Lifting Ink by Ranger/TH and was playing around with it.

Using a piece of Yupo paper, I applied Ranger Alcohol inks and blending solution until I was happy with the coverage of my paper.  It is so cool to try using different tools to get the inks to move.  I mostly used a straw to blow the wet inks around and you do have to work quickly as they dry so fast.

After the piece had dried, I placed it inside my Misti and arranged flowers and leaves randomly ready to stamp onto my Yupo and lift the colour. After inking with the Lifting ink, you are left with something that looks like a 'ghost print'...love the look.

For my sparkle, I silver heat embossed a piece of white cardstock, then die cut the "smile" and glued it over my dried background.  I added some sparkly dots to add to the look.

I hope you will come and play along with us and thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:
Craft Stamper Magazine- ANYTHING GOES
Time Out- COLOURFUL
STAMPlorations- MIXED MEDIA

Supplies
Stamps- Wildflowers (Magenta)= Leaf Prints (TH)
Inks- Alcohol inks (Ranger)= Alcohol Lifting (Ranger)
Paper- Yupo= blue sc= white card base (Scribes Nook)
Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia)= silver eb powder= 
Smile Die (STAMPlorations)= heat tool= Cuttlebug= shiny pearls

Blue Skies- The Flower Challenge

Good Morning.

Time for a new theme at 

The Flower Challenge.

Add acetate or vellum to your flower card.

I began creating my card by die cutting the Delphinium Circle onto my heavy white cardstock and stamped on my sentiment.

Next, I got out a piece of acetate and cut it to size to fit behind my flower circular window.  I applied alcohol inks and blended them using Ranger's Blending Solution.  It left me with a rich, blue background for my flowers.

Since I am using this as a sympathy card, I wanted to keep it very simple so glued the finished piece onto white cardstock.

I hope you will come and play along with us.

Thanks for the visit.

Use Your Stuff- FREE WEEK
Craft Stamper Magazine- ANYTHING STAMPED GOES
A Inky Mess- ANYTHING MIXED MEDIA GOES

Supplies

Stamps- Difficult Time ( Hero Arts)

Inks- Tuxedo Black Memento; Alcohol inks Aqua (Ranger); Pinata Baja Blue, Passion Purple

Paper- heavy white (local store)

Accessories and Tools- Misti; acetate sheet; Cuttlebug; Delphinium Circle (Memory Box)

Paper Pieced- The Flower Challenge

Good Morning.

I have another fun challenge for you to try out at 

The Flower Challenge.

This month our theme is:

I haven't paper pieced for a very long time so it was fun to see what I could come up with.

I looked through my inked pieces that I had on hand and found one that had a lot of  'Spring-like' colours in it.  I had made the inked paper by dropping Ranger Alcohol inks onto Yupo paper. 

I like to make a few at a time so I can set them aside for future use on my cards.

I stamped this lovely flower called Awaken from Penny Black onto a piece of heavy white cardstock using black Memento ink and my Misti.

I stamped the flowers again onto a piece of Yupo paper but this time with Versamark and then I white heat  embossed the flowers. 

*when embossing with Yupo paper, but sure and keep you heat gun moving or your paper will totally warp*

While the embossed flowers cooled, I coloured the flower stems with my Zig markers.

I fussy cut out the flowers and glued them over the top of the stamped image on my card front.

I stamped the sentiment using my Misti then sponged the edges with Distress inks and splattered with some water to lift some of the ink.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

I hope you will check out the challenge and come and see what the talented designers have created!

Adding my card to these challenges:
Simon Says Wed.- ANYTHING GOES
Craft Stamper Magazine- MAKE IT, ANYTHING GOES
Stamping Sensations- ANYTHING WITH FLOWERS
Love to Create- ANYTHING CREATIVE/MIXED MEDIA

Supplies

Stamps- Awaken (PB); Gratitude (PB)

Inks- Tuxedo Black Memento; Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean Distress ink; Versamark

Paper- heavy white (local store); Yupo

Accessories and Tools- Zig Real Brush markers; white eb powder; heat tool; Alcohol ink (Ranger);

sponging tool (TH)