Sunday, January 22, 2012

CSI: Case File No. 2

I told you I was going to be more active this year!  I have been working over the last week on the latest CSI challenge as shown below:
This one was more my colour range so I found it a little easier.  I chose to combine this challenge with the January 1 sketch challenge (which I missed the deadline for...oops) for Once Upon A...Sketch which looks like this:
And this is what I came up with to match the two:
I am actually really please with the result!  I used Basic Grey Lily Kate Vanilla paper as the base.  Then I spritzed the doily with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Snow Angel which matched the purple of the CSI challenge perfectly!  I added number stickers to the doily to make my "clock" from the sketch.  I added Queen & Co Felt Fusion in blue.  Over the top of that, I added my sheer element from the CSI challenge which is homemade tissue tape.  I found the tutorial for this at the Let's Scrap site and you can get to it here.  I matted the photo in two of the CSI colours and added a bling swirl from ZVA.  Then I added layered flowers from KaiserCraft and Rosie's Studio with a brad that matched the colour scheme.  I created two rolled roses from the chosen colours.  You can create these easily to with this video:
I chose to use scallop scissors when I cut mine and I inked the edges (of course).  I punched some butterflies using the new EK Success punches that do three different versions of the punch in the CSI colours, added bling to their wings with Diamond Stickles and then added them on top of the flowers with glue dots.  Finally, I added some monograms from the Basic Grey Lily Kate range with inked edges (Distress Ink Tea Dye) and Heidi Swapp Lemonade Stand Chipboard in ocean blue which I changed by painting with Pebeo Pearl Touch Acrylic Paint in Parma and then adding a clear glitter with Glossy Accents on top.

The journalling is done on tags which are tucked behind the picture.  I did these in the stream of conscious  method to match with the CSI challenge.  It reads:

   "We haven't had a tradition for new year since the kids came into our lives.  This year we went to the  
   Bells Carnival in Batemans Bay with friends.  We all had fun!  I think we found our tradition for New
   Years Eve!"

I am including some close ups so that you get more of an idea of the dimension this project has.





Hope you enjoyed this layout!  On to the next one :0)

xoxo

Kim

Monday, January 16, 2012

CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration - Case File #1

This site is seriously cool; and challenging.

There is a "scene" (colour palette), "evidence" (pins, numbers, lace, etc) and "testimony"(journalling) that have to be included in your layout.  The whole idea of making it like a crime you have to solve is some how intriguing.  It draws you in and makes you want to play along.  So far this month, the inspiration has come from Alice in Wonderland and I have to say the results in the gallery are magnificent.

Of course, I decided to play along!  Here is the Case File:
These are not my normal colours so I found this very challenging.  Still, it made me think of things I might not have.  I think my layout lacks a little something BUT I gave it a red hot try and I am proud of myself for doing so.  Here is my take on CSI #1:
I was pretty please that I had materials in my stash to match the five colours, especially the green!  I needed more journalling but I was so wrung out from figuring out how to put this together that I just couldn't think!!  The flowers were the biggest thing for me.  I made them!  How cool...but as usual, credit where it is due - this is where I learned it from:
I inked mine with Spiced Marmalade and Shabby Shutters Distress Ink and when they were close to dry, I sprayed them with Smooch Spritz.  The rub on is an old Basic Grey one I've had for ever and the patterned paper is Scenic Route Paper Co - Rockland Laurel Street.  The tags were traced from others that I had and the chipboard was a piece I received as part of a kit a long time ago.  The edges were punched with a Martha Stewart punch and a Fiskar's punch.  The pattern paper was distressed with scissors and then inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  The chipboard letters are randoms left over from various sets that were inked with a Cajun Craze (Stampin' Up) marker after being lightened up with Picket Fence Distress Stain!

I hope that you check the site out and join in; and that you use the flower technique...it really is effective and makes for a great 3D look to your page.  Until next time!

xoxo

Kim

Friday, January 6, 2012

Jan 2012 Color Challenge for Paper Secrets

I promise to not bother you again today!  I have been a busy little girl.  So, as promised, I have a scrapbook layout for you.  The challenge was to scrap a page, card or altered project using Gold or Silver on it.  I chose silver as I had this great picture of Indy from the south coast that I turned black and white and then added the colour back to her eyes.  So here it is:
Heaps of silver here!  Although it's not easy to tell in the photo, even the paper has a silver metallic running through it.  But the most notable silver features are the photo mat, the letter squares and of course, the butterflies.

The photo mat was cut with a Time Holtz on the edge die and the letter tiles are grunge blocks.  I embossed the squares with silver and then inked the letters with Stormy Sky Distress Ink.  The paper is Die Cuts With a View (all of it except for the glitter paper), most from the Luxury Premium Stack.  The butterflies are Go-Lo specials as are the flowers.  The rub-on is from Stampin' Up  Eastern Elegance.  The bling and brads were stash items.

Hope you like it!  We just love Indy and we are so happy to have made her part of our family.  I can't help but give the rescue agency another plug - ABR - Arctic Breed Rescue.  The people there are wonderful, knowledgable and very friendly.  They get to know the dogs well and will match you perfectly with one of their beauties.  The dogs are all Malamutes, Huskies, Samoyeds and any other Arctic breed you can think of as well as crosses.  Look into one of their rescues before buying a puppy - these dogs deserve to be loved!

Off my soap box now...thanks for looking again today :0)

xoxo

Kim

6 Fold Card

Each Wednesday, I get an email from SplitCoastStampers with a new tutorial.  When I saw this one, I just had to try it out.  Again, it's not as hard as I first thought although I felt I had to watch the video that is at the bottom of the tutorial page.  I am not going to repeat the tutorial but here is the link to the 6 Fold Card.

I chose to use the Kaisercraft Gypsy papers and embellishments.  The butterflies are Hero Arts stamps teamed with Sizzix framelit dies which were coloured with Smooch Accent Inks.  This is what mine looked like finished:
This is the closed front.  The butterfly was also sprayed with Perfect Pearls Mist in Heirloom Gold, edged with VersaColor Ink in Gold and then coated with Dimensional Magic and Diamond Stickles.  The ribbon is a random piece from my stash while the central medallion is part of the Kaisercraft Gypsy Chipboard embellishments.  This was sanded, inked (Distress Ink Vintage Photo) and sprayed with the Heirloom Gold.  The paper was inked with  Vintage Photo too.
First and second folds open.  The flowers and brads were inked with Vintage Photo and Gold and are from the KaiserCraft Gypsy collection.  The base paper was from DCWV brights card stock stack.
With the forth and fifth folds open.  The small butterfly was attached with foam tape.  The brads are ones I've had for ages and the thread is Memory Thread from DMC.  The centre panel is Very Vanilla card stock from Stampin' Up that was inked with Vintage Photo.
Completely open now.  The bottom greeting was stamped on Very Vanilla with Ranger Archival Ink in Plum and then inked with Vintage Photo (as were the butterflies).  The tag stamp is from Hero Arts teamed with a matching Sizzix Framelit die.  The word is from a set of Stamp It stamps I bought years ago.

All of the papers were inked with Vintage Photo but unless you see what it looked like before, it seems kind of meaningless.  So, here they are side by side:
As you can see, the act of inking has changed the look of these papers substantially.  It tones down those colours that might be too bright for you.  Give it a try on one of those pieces that you love the pattern on but just can't get past the colour now.  Also, for some reason, the colours in my photos are not accurate this time.  The card stock is more green and the pinky red centre piece is actually more burgundy as is the ribbon.  Grrrrrr...you would think I'd have that sorted by now huh?!

Oh, I thought this could be our first class project too!  Obviously, different papers and colours (ooooo, need to go shopping).  I won't have a class in January so am looking at a February date.  Need to schedule around birthdays and classes of others that I attend so will get back to you soon with the date.

And now onto the January colour challenge by Paper Secrets!  I hope to have a scrapbook page for you soon.

xoxo

Kim

And I Managed Another Win!

Yep!  I was following Tim Holtz's blog for the 12 Tags of Christmas 2011 and leaving comments each day because I absolutely LOVE his work and I was lucky enough to have one of my comments picked to win a prize.  Needless to say, I was so excited I could barely speak (a rarity, I know).  So what did I get?  This:
How awesome is that?!  The embossing folders actually have 3 inside (two large and one mini) and look at the ton of stamps!  I am so grateful to Tim, Mario and the suppliers for this gift and I am already planning on how to use these on my cards next year :0)  Now I just need to get my hands on all of the OTHER Christmas stuff Tim has released - bwahahahahahahaha!

xoxo

Kim

Last Card Making Bonanza

Ok, I know it's after Christmas but I just didn't get to getting this one up.  These are most definitely Christmas cards!  I found it on Two Friends Stamping (with instructions on how to complete) and I have managed to copy it almost exactly with my own stash of materials.  I used Dimensional Magic for the icicles with glitter sprinkled in like this:
Even in the warmer weather, it needed overnight to dry and it was a little brittle so be careful.  Definitely use the plastic wrap to create this as suggested on Two Friends Stamping's blog.  My end products looked like this:

Two slightly different looks just by changing up the roof colour and ribbon.  I didn't have a woodgrain embossing folder but I had paper with a similar texture that worked well.  This is not as hard as it looks.  I thought it would take me ages but I whipped these out within a couple of hours (after the icicles were dry).

I also made this:
 I used Tim Holtz Distress Papers for the circles and sanded them to make the embossing show.  The embossing folder was a Cuttlebug one (snowflakes).  Then I highlighted parts of the ornaments with Diamond Stickles.  I drew on the "strings" with a zig marker and the sentiment is from Stampin' Up - Snow Swirled.  The border is the scallop punch from Stampin' Up.

The last card I want to show, you I've done the tutorial for.  I found this idea on Simply One Of a Kind who entered hers into the Less is More challenge.

I am still putting this up because you can do this technique at any time - it doesn't have to be a Christmas theme.  Change the stamps and colours and you could have a birthday card, sympathy, Thinking of you, etc and it is really simple.  So here is the finished products:




As you can see, I used different stamps for each one (the first was a roller graph).  I also changed my embossing powder for the last from sea foam white to silver.  I was so involved in doing these, I forgot to take pictures until the last one so here is how the silver trees was made - the technique is the same for them all.
Cut your card to size (I chose A5 but you could do larger or smaller).  I chose to score my lines in before I stamped but upon reflection of the finished product, I would probably leave that until the last step now.
Mask off the area that you want to stamp in with post it notes (or some other form of removable paper).  This will stay until you are finished with the inking so I suggest overlapping your post it notes so that you don't get bleeding of the ink between them.  To make sure they are straight, use the edge of a ruler or draw a light pencil line that you can erase later.
Next, wipe over the entire exposed area (including the post it notes) with an embossing buddy.  This insures that your embossing powder only sticks to the image and not anywhere you don't want it (you can use corn starch or baby powder if you don't have an embossing buddy).
Load up your stamp with Versamark ink and stamp it several times across the card.  If you are using multiple stamps, that is fine as the ink stays wet for a long time so there is no real hurry.  Having said that, don't leave it sitting for ages either :0)
 Sprinkle the image with your embossing powder (silver used here) and tap off any excess.  The easiest way to do this is to have a piece of folded paper underneath that has been wiped with an embossing buddy.  Then pour your embossing powder on your image.  When you pick it up, it will fall off onto the paper.  Then fold the paper in half and use the crease to empty the extra back into the container.
Heat the image with your heat gun.  You will see the powder go from dull to shiny.  Continue to move across the card until all the powder is shiny.
Side view so you can see the shiny!
Now it's time to ink.  I chose distress inks in Stormy Sky and Chipped Sapphire as I was going for a night sky look.  Always start with the lightest colour first.  I chose to use the ink blending tool but a make up sponge will do the same thing.  Always start off the page or area you want to ink to test the colour first.
 Here is the first layer.  I chose to leave an area at the bottom white to look like snow.
Second layer done.
As I think you all know by now, I like my shiny things so I added a layer of Perfect Pearls Mist - Pearl to the image.  The cool thing about this is that  the Distress Inks react with the liquid of the mist so they have blended even better together.  Can you see the extra shine?
Now you can remove your post it notes.  If you have drawn a line, erase it.  Now would be the time to score your lines if you haven't done so already.
 Add your sentiment under the image.
In the end, I decided I needed to make the white area look more like snow so I added a thick layer of crystal Kindy Glitz.  And you are done!

Thanks for keeping up with me during the busy season.  I will have some more cards and some scrap book pages for you shortly along with my date for my first class!

xoxo
Kim