From Trash to Treasure

Stamp TV’s Weekly Challenge over at Gina K Designs decided we needed to be trashy this week. In the spirit of Earth Day, we were encouraged to use something on our cards that we would normally throw out.

Just before I looked on the website to see what the challenge was I had thrown a plastic container into our recycle can:

I quickly went out to retrieve it, found this “Faux Glass” tutorial which I had remembered seeing at Splitcoaststampers.com, and went to work. I had so much fun playing around with my faux glass pieces! First I made a Mother’s Day card for my Mom (Don’t worry, she doesn’t read my blog!):

**paper is from Gina K and Club Scrap. The background is an “art orphan” piece…I can’t remember what supplies I used to create it.

**stamps are from Gina K (both from the “Especially For You Duo” set). The sentiment is stamped with VersaMark ink then embossed with Zing White EP, the flower is stamped on one of my “art orphan” scraps using Gina K’s Charcoal Brown Ink, embossed with Lindy’s Stamp Gang’s “Twilight Jade Slate” EP, then fussy cut. 

**the butterflies are die cut from the plastic container using Tim Holtz Sizzix Die “Mini Butterflies” Movers & Shapers dies, then colored with Ranger Alcohol Ink in Pool, Stream (top layer) and Silver mixative (bottom layer).

**the leaves are die cut from some yellow paper scraps using a TayloredExressions die, then covered with VersaMark ink followed by Lindy’s Stamp Gang “Reindeer Moss Green” EP. This powder is translucent, so I had use several layers to try to cover up the yellow. It created a unique color that blended well with the rest of the card.

**ribbon is from Club Scrap “Artifacts” kit.

Because this was so much fun, I also made a graduation card:

**all paper is from Gina K.

**sentiment stamp is from Gina K’s “Dreamcatcher” set, stamped with VersaMark ink, embossed with Stampendous Pearlustre Chapagne EP.

**the stars are die cut from the plastic container using Tim Holtz Sizzix Die Stacked Stars Bigz die, then colored with Ranger Alcohol ink in Botanical, Denim, Snow Cap Mixative and Gold Mixative.

**the center panel was die cut out of Gina K Layering Weight card stock using a die from Art C, inked with Club Scrap’s “Spruce” ink.

**ribbon is from Club Scrap “Spring Chorus” kit. I bought the nail heads (which don't show up very well in the photo) from Michaels a few years ago, but I don’t know the brand name.

Gina K Design’s Online Store is going through some transitions right now, so I can’t provide direct links to their products that I used. I’m sure you can find them if you check back at this site in a few days!

Thanks for stopping by!

Club Scrap’s April Dahlia Blog Hop and Linky Party

It is the last Wednesday of the month, so it is time for the Club Scrap Dahlia Blog Hop and Linky Party!  To check out all of the cool projects, please visit the front page here.

April has been a crazy month around here.  Between a trip to Virginia, a visit from my parents, and all the prep that went into both, I didn’t have much time to do a lot of thinking about what to do for this month’s blog hop and linky party.  After seeing the stencil in my Dahlia Lite kit I couldn’t wait to play.  Experimenting can be fun!  It can also lead to some interesting cards:

All of the cards were made with paper and ribbon from the Dahlia Lite kit.  Here are the details of each card…

This was my first “experiment” with the stencil.  I used a sponge dauber to put VersaMark ink through the stencil onto a scrap of paper from CS Big Deal, then embossed it using three colors of Lindy’s Stamp Gang EP (Sunset Yellow Orange, Geranium Coral Blush, Pumpkin Fiesta).  I altered the ribbon with Club Scrap Topaz ink.  The sentiment is from the Irresistible Unmounted Rubber stamp set, stamped with Club Scrap India Ink and embossed with Gina K Fine Detail Clear EP.  It was cut out using a die from Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations. 

Next I tried the same technique, only I used Club Scrap inks in Fuchsia, Tangerine, and Neon Yellow, with the sameLindy Stamp Gang EP colors on top.  These Lindy's embossing powders are translucent and "blended" their color with the ink color. The sentiment is from Club Scrap Moroccan Spice Greeting Unmounted Rubber stamp set, stamped with VersaMark ink, embossed with Zing Apricot EP.

The biggest difference between the dahlia on this card and the one on the previous card is that I moved the stencil off the edge of the paper.  I dry embossed the bottom portion using a folder from Sizzix.  The tag is cut using a Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations die. The sentiment is from the Club Scrap Gratitude kit, stamped with VersaMark, embossed with Zing Apricot EP.

Ok, here is where I got a little crazy.  I mixed Dreamweaver Translucent Embossing Paste with Club Scrap inks in Fuchsia, Tangerine, and Neon Yellow then spread it over the stencil.  I didn’t have the stencil taped down very well, so I ended up with some smearing in the middle of the dahlia.  I used a die from Taylored Expressions  to cut it out, inked the edges with CS Fuchsia ink and decided that it didn’t look too bad.  I altered the ribbon with the same CS Fuchsia ink.  The sentiment, from CS National Parks, stamped with CS India Ink.  The gem is from my stash.  

Don't be afraid to play around and experiment.  After all it is only paper.  Sometimes you can get some pretty cool results!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stained Glass…No Band-Aids Needed

Club Scrap's April technique challenge is to duplicate the look of stained glass.  I have to admit that the biggest reason I haven’t wandered into that part of the crafty world is the fear of multiple cuts and slices on my hands, arms and who knows where else (I would not consider myself “graceful”).  This challenge allowed me to try for the look of stained glass using paper; not quite as “dangerous” as actual glass.  Here is what I came up with:

The background is a monoprint using Ranger Alcohol Ink in Cloudy Blue, Stream, Bottle and Pearl Mixatives on the back of a piece of CS “Dream in Color” glossy paper.  The swirl pattern on top is cut from CS “Artifacts” paper using a Taylored Expressions cutting plate.  The seahorse is from Club Scrap “Seaside” and is stamped onto CS “Gratitude” paper using VersaMark ink, then embossed using Lindy”s Stamp Gang EP in Cleopatra’s Copper and Byzantine Bronze.  The fussy cut edges are inked with CS Earth ink. 

Other supplies I used:

**sentiment from Club Scrap’s “Military” , stamped with VersaMark ink and embossed with Lindy”s Stamp Gang EP in Midnight Teal.

**the ribbon is upcycled and altered with a Copic Marker; the bling on the seahorse’s eye is from my stash.

If you have some extra time, you might want to go check out the other great stained glass looks starting here.

Thanks for stopping by!