Monday, February 27, 2017

Roo-Star

Be sure to sign up to be entered in our weekly drawings to the right*:) ------------>

Please be sure to go to your email and validate your registration.  Only validated subscribers can be entered into the drawings.  Drawings are open to everyone no matter what country you are in.  Please be aware that if you live outside of the United States you will need to pay a small postage fee for the delivery of your prize.  



******* NEXT TIME:  Our first prize announcement*******



When I first saw the Layering Rooster Stamp from Hero Arts I gasped.  My mind started racing with all the color combinations I could create for these beautiful stamps.  A Rainbow of roosters would be so much fun.  I am one of those people who just simply likes chickens and roosters.....and it didn't hurt that there were adorable little coloring layering chicks included in the set.
I decided to start out with a more traditional combination of colors that Hero Arts suggested.  I created this cute and whimsical good luck card.  Perfect for someone starting a new job or possibly going to college.

Layers:
(1) 4 1/4" x 11" 100lb white cover card stock folded in half
100 lb white cover to stamp rooster, die cut oval, and create wheat frame

Process:
I wanted contrast for the border so I took the wheat and stamped repeatedly to surround the scene.  I did this by tracing around the largest oval with a pencil and filling in the outside edges.

This is a background I could use over and over again.  In the future I plan on using this wheat to create a beautiful sun background :)

I cut the two ovals I would use for my center panel using the My Favorite Things Stitched Oval dies.  I created the red panel by applying the ink directly to the edges of the oval so it would coordinate with the rooster.  I then sponged a simple sky and ground backdrop with Mowed Lawn and Tumbled Glass distress inks.  I used a stamp block and angled the stamps so they would surround the rooster with their cheerful message.

After stamping and die cutting the rooster I attached all of the pieces to the card base, popping up the rooster and the red oval with Scotch foam tape to create some dimension and added interest.

After I was done with my card I also experimented with the different layers and creating background patterns.  These stamps work wonderfully for creating an interesting and colorful background.  Watch for a post about these backgrounds coming soon.

Supplies:

Color Layering Rooster stamps & dies, Hero Arts
Classic Cherry ink, Ranger
Blue Jay and sunflower ink, Lawn Fawn
Mowed lawn and tumbled glass distress inks, Ranger
Mini Round Ink Blending Tools, Ranger
Stitched Oval dies, My Favorite Things
Scotch Foam tape


Sunday, February 19, 2017

Mistake or Opportunity?......Garden Trellis Card featuring Altenew Beauitful Day

Be sure to sign up to be entered in our weekly drawings to the right*:) ------------>

Please be sure to go to your email and validate your registration.  Only validated subscribers can be entered into the drawings.  Drawings are open to everyone no matter what country you are in.  Please be aware that if you live outside of the United States you will need to pay a small postage fee for the delivery of your prize.  


I am absolutely in love with the Beautiful Day stamp set from Altenew.  It works wonderfully for pretty one layer cards when you mask off different stamps to create a lovely layered effect.  That was my initial intention when I started making this card but then this happened!

A big, huge smudge right where the sentiment needed to go.  You all know when you mask and layer it takes time.  This happened right after I finished my last stamp :(  

The stamped edges looked so beautiful so I set about determining how I was going to fix this boo boo.  It's like we all say there are no mistakes only opportunities.  

This is what I did:

Layers

(1) 4 1/4" x 11" 100lb white cover card stock folded in half
(4) 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" pieces 100lb card stock, 1 for stamping, 1 for greeting and 2 for die cutting

I cut out the stamped floral portions of the card and discarded the messed up middle.  I looked through my stash for a way to fill in the middle and found the Delfina dies from Birch Press Design.  These are a set of 3 dies that you can purchase individually or in the set.  I had received the set for Christmas and this was just the opportunity to try them out and see how I could use them.

I decided that Layer B (the middle layer) would probably be the best bet for what I had in mind.  I wanted to hang my stamped creation on a trellis, and I wanted it to be see-through.

I folded my 4 1/4" x 11" card stock in half and set it on the die so that the folded edge would be just shy of the cut line and therefore not be cut.
Zoom in to see exactly where the folded
edge is in relation to the cutting edge.
and this is the result.

I did realize after cutting it that it lacked the strength to remain standing.  I solved for this by cutting
two 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" pieces of card stock with the same die and attaching them to the front and the back.  I carefully lined them up so they matched the base card and attached with Tombow Dotted Tape Runner.  This did the trick.

I then traced the stamped pieces onto another piece of card stock and fussy cut those pieces out so I would have a solid back to my stamped pictures and a place to write a greeting.  I used the Tombow Dotted Tape Runner to attach the stamped pieces to the front of the card.  I opened the card and aligned the blank pieces with the stamped pieces. I used the same tape to attach them to the inside of the card.  I stamped a scratch piece of card stock with a sentiment from the stamp set, attached it to the front, and my card was done.

It just goes to show you that mistakes are worth it because you never know what opportunities they might bring forth :)

I hope you enjoyed this post.  Please comment below and tell me what you think :)  Also let me know if you are interested in a video of how to make this card :)

Supplies

Delfina Layer B, Birch Press Design dies
Frayed Leaf, Forest Glades, Warm Sunshine and Buttercream inks,  Altenew
Beautiful Day Stamp Set, Altenew
VersaFine Onyx Black ink, Tsukineko
Fine Detail scissors

Thursday, February 16, 2017

I can't get enough of these dies!

Be sure to sign up to be entered in our weekly drawings to the right*:) ------------>

Please be sure to go to your email and validate your registration.  Only validated subscribers can be entered into the drawings.  Drawings are open to everyone no matter what country you are in.  Please be aware that if you live outside of the United States you will need to pay a small postage fee for the delivery of your prize.  




Individual dies...one of my faves.  Some I just can't get enough of.  I want to figure out every little trick I can do with those dies.  Well in this case a set of 3 dies, Caprice Heart dies from Birch Press Designs.  These dies are perfectly symmetrical from front to back so you can actually layer them in the front and the back as well.  Really pretty for banners and ornaments for a Christmas tree.  I hope Birch Press comes out with more of these types of designs soon :)  But I digress from the task at hand, Valentine's cards for my spouse and daughter.  Here we go :)

Layers:

4 1/4" x 11" 100 lb white cover card stock folded in half
White, Pink, and Red (or any color you choose really) scraps to cut out 2 hearts of each color



This beautiful die set makes the perfect Valentine's Day card a breeze and is also wonderful when you want to just send your love to someone.  After you cut out the hearts in each of the colors then go about adhering each of the hearts together.  I start with the middle heart and put adhesive on its back and then adhere it to the bottom heart.  I just use simple dotted tape runner from tomboy but wet glue would work as well (be careful to not put too much of course).  I then put adhesive on the top heart and attach it to the middle middle on bottom hearts.

After the two hearts were completely assembled, I positioned them on my card front, which was already stamped with the Happy Valentine's Day stamp from Lawn Fawn's Celebration Scripty Sayings set, to assess how they would fit.  I then carefully picked them up being sure to hold them in position and then snipped the top corner of the bottom heart.  Some more Tombow dotted adhesive on the back and I adhered them to the front of the card carefully tucking the cut heart up next to the whole heart.

I added some interest to the card with some tiny hearts from Lawn Fawn's Happy Wedding set and used the whimsical words from the Hero Arts Floral Heart Stamp & Cut by Lia on the inside to top off the love.

I made the card pictured below for my daughter.  I switched it up a bit so it would appeal to a 20 something year old.  She loved it!  Comment below if you would like to see instructions on this card too :)




Supplies:

Caprice Heart, Birch Press Design
Happy  Wedding, Lawn Fawn
Floral Heart Stamp & Cut by Lia, Hero Arts
Next Level Embossing Folders QuiltedWe R Memory Keepers
Mono Dots Adhesive, Tombow




Sunday, February 12, 2017

Flowers, A Frame and A Smile :)


Welcome to my first blog post...

Be sure to sign up to be entered in our weekly drawings to the right*:) ------------>

Please be sure to go to your email and validate your registration.  Only validated subscribers can be entered into the drawings.  Drawings are open to everyone no matter what country you are in.  Please be aware that if you live outside of the United States you will need to pay a small postage fee for the delivery of your prize.  

I don't know about you but I spend a lot of time (maybe too much) watching YouTube videos, browsing Instagram and checking out the Facebook groups for beautiful card ideas.  Bing........ I see something, I must have it! Can you relate?

This particular a-ha moment involved the amazing Honey Bee Stamps Zen Bouquet set.  I had to have it.  So versatile, so fun to color.  I could hardly wait.  Fast forward to delivery day and then the day I get to play.... screeeeeeeech....wait I can't make cards that look like the other beautiful cards I have seen online.  I need to stretch myself and make my card not someone else's.  Sound familiar?  


I started by gathering the layers of the card which include:
    • 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" white 100lb cover card base
    • 4"x 5 1/4" gold mirror card stock
    • 3 7/8" x 5 1/8"white 100 lb cover , embossed with the Gemstone Next Level Embossing Folder by We R Memory Keepers
    • Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper large enough to die cut the tag.  
    • Center oval of tag for sentiment
    • scrap gold mirror card stock for smile die.
I created the frame by die cutting the Anastasia Tag die out of Strathmore Bristol Smooth Paper.  I then placed it in the MISTI with the large Zen Floral Stamp and stamped the image with Versa Fine Onyx Black ink.  It was a Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker kind of day :)

After I finished coloring I popped the frame up on the embossed panel with some Scotch foam tape and then went on to give this card a message that would brighten anyone's day.


I took the center cut oval of the tag die cut and stamped the sentiments from the Smile Stamp set once in Delicata Gold Ink and then ghost stamps in the VersaFine Onyx Black Ink.  I used the MISTI to create the ghost stamping technique completely by accident.  I had decided I wanted the black instead of the gold.  A happy oops happened and yay :) ghost stamping that looks terrific. 

I balanced the stamped sentiment with some flowers from the stamp set.  The sweet Smile die, also from Honey Bee, die cut in gold mirror cardstock is a great finishing touch for any card.

Supplies

Thursday, February 9, 2017

Hello and Welcome to Perky Penny Paper Arts

Penny and I look forward to sharing our paper crafting life with you :)

Please subscribe to be entered in our weekly drawings.