Bird Card

Inspired by some stamps I bought recently, dicky birds seem to have taken me by storm, just love the trend on birds at the moment.

This card was made by stamping a solid rubber bird image with vintage sepia Versafine ink, masking and then overstamping with a text stamp in black onyx Versafine on plain copier paper. The images were trimmed to size and edged with green chalk ink. The words 'Song Bird' were rubber stamped over the bird with chalk ink in emerald green. This completed the panel.

The tag was a clear green epoxy sticker which I stuck to a piece of gold mirri card which had been stamped with the word 'Soar' in black Stazon ink. The tag was trimmed around its edge, a hole punched with my cropodile and a short piece of dark brown organza ribbon tied through the hole. This completed the tag.

The eggs were stamped on white shrink plastic with dove grey Stazon, cut out and shrunk with a heat gun.

The background card was made with cream card and cut/folded to C6 size. A piece of decorative printed paper was adhered to the front of the card and trimmed. The edges distressed with the edge of a pair of scissors before applying old paper Distress Ink direct to paper. This muted the floral design a little. The ink was worked into the edges also.

The card was then assembled. The bird panel was stuck in place with double sided adhesive. The tag was positioned and adhered with glossy accents. The words 'Good Egg' were stamped direct to the card in onyz black Versafine and the eggs applied with glossy accents.

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Two Canvas Tags

As part of a swap I have hosted on UK Stampers Forum , here are my entries for the 'Canvas Tag Swap'. Each participant was sent two precut plain tags as a base and asked to decorate anyway they liked. The returned tags were randomly mixed and two tags were returned to each entrant.

The tags were cut from a roll of gessoed canvas using a template made using my Cricut machine. The tags are 5.5 ins. x 3.5 ins. approx.



My first tag used the base canvas tag and Inscribe permanent metallic acrylic paints in Peacock, Plum & Sapphire, randomly applied with a real sponge over the entire surface of the tag. When the desired effect had been achieved I heated the painted surface with a heat gun and some of the thicker wet painted areas bubbled as they dried. This gave a bit more texture to the base surface. I then used a Klimt swirl stamp from Tanda stamps to stamp some swirls in the top and bottom corners using colourbox chalk inks in Red and Ochre.

On a piece of light purple cardstock I stamped the bird (unknown) twice with royal Purple Stazon and the words with MM magnetic Rummage alpha stamps. One of the bird images was torn out from the card, one was cut out and the alphas were cut out into the individual words 'A LITTLE BIRD TOLD ME'.

The torn edges of the bird image was edged with purple Colorbox chalk ink applied direct to paper. Next, the bird images were treated with Anitas 3D gloss finish and allowed to dry before sticking to the tag with glossy accents, one overlapping the other. Some teardrop self adhesive embellishments were added in red and blue and the words applied with glossy accents. The tag hole was cut with a crop-a-dile and a blue eyelet applied. A length of assorted purple fibres was threaded through the hole and knotted to finish the effect.

The background to my second tag was made using Adirondack ink pads applied with a makeup sponge. Colours used were Stonewashed, Bottle and Denim. The dye ink was fixed with a coat of cheap hairspray which also helped blend the colours further. When thouroughly dry a used an anti-static pad before stamping with a flower stamp and Versamark top and bottom and heat embossing with detail gold and claret Stamp-n-Stuff embossing powder. Three circles of purple ink were applied to the bottom right of the tag and when dry a clear self adhesive disk was added. Self adhesive white pearl embellishments were added to the centre of two of the flowers. The 'FLORA' was added with Making Memories Rummage Rub-ons. A hole was again punched with the crop-a-dile and a blue eyelet applied. The gold 1/4 organza ribbon was added by adhering it to a piece of double sided tape in a rouched effect. The hole in the tag was adorned with two pieces of gold and holographic violet ribbon. Finally the tag was edged with gold Krylon pen and allowed to dry.

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'Tags' ATC's

As another entry into a swap run by UK Stampers Forum , the challenge was to produce three ATC's featuring tags. These ATC's were made from Laser Plastic (which I have had for such a long time - not knowing what to do with it !). I cut the three from different colours of Laser Plastic and stamped the background with a Klimt swirl stamp from Tanda Stamps and black Stazon ink. These were then embellished with various K & Co mini tags all edged with chalk ink and attached with brads - some plain silver brads were coloured with Alcohol Ink to match the colour theme. The tags were also fixed in place with photoglue behind to stop the tags from moving. Pieces of ribbon were used also.

I liked the effect because they are transparent, I wrote the atc details behind the tags with a fine permanent pen !

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'Postcard' Altered Pringle Container

This one is another altered pringles container but I have cut down the original tall tube to 4 inches. This height makes it more suitable for storing pens, pencils, paintbrushes etc. It is quite difficult to cut the tube perfectly square and I was not absolutely happy with the finish. I will try another method using a small hacksaw next time hoping for a more neater look. There are also smaller snack packs available which are slightly shorter than 4 inches but these would be ideal and would have a neat top finish to start with.

I gave the container (after trimming to size), two coats of white gesso to cover up the original labelling. I then used various sprays to obtain a aged look. First a spray with Oak stain and then with Olive stain which I dried quickly with the heat gun. I finished off with a metallic gold spray to give it a gleam. I then applied rub-ons in a postcard theme over the thoroughly dried surface, overlapping some. I then used glossy accents to adhere bronze metallic bugle beads in groups of 4 around the rim of the tube, (very fiddly and I used tweezers to position), finishing off with Gold Krylon pen.




At least it makes a useful container for paintbrushes, pens and pencils, is recycled and hopefully it looks good as well !!!

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Klimt Tree Card

Here is card I made in Klimt style. I started with a cream hammer finish cardstock and made the card blank to C6 size. I then cut a panel from plain white cardstock and stamped the tree with a rubber stamp from Tanda Stamps in Versamark and heat embossed with Peanut Butter pearlised embossing powder from Joanna Sheen. I just love this particular stamp and using it inspires loads more possibilities. Next, using the embossed image as a resist I applied Adirondack Denim ink with a makeup sponge wedge leaving an uneven coating with lighter and darker patches. I wiped off the excess ink from the image with a paper tissue. This was matted twice onto metallic gold cardstock and then pale blue paper edged with blue ink. The panel was roughly placed onto the front of the card blank and a pencil was used to draw around the very edge of top left and bottom right corners to position. Another Tanda Klimt swirls corner stamp was inked in peacock chalk ink (colorbox) and stamped top and bottom so that when the panel was applied with 2mm foam pads it overlapped the corner images. A 'With Love' gold embossed plate was affixed with foam pads to finish.

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Green Leaf Altered Slide Mailer

Here is another altered double slide mailer I have completed.

I gave the whole of the outside a coat of pale green acrylic paint and once dry gave the whole of the inside a coat of Lumiere metallic in Citrine. Once dry I stamped the front with an Intaglio stamp from Stewart Gill in Lime and Moss Green Chalk Ink. Using a very small leaf stamp I used Versamark and metallic emerald green Embossing Powder which I melted with a heat tool. The inside front was embellished with two self adhesive dye cut 3D roses. The slide holder frames were stamped with another small flower stamp in Olive Green Stazon. All the edges of the slide holder were then finished in dark metallic green marker as a contrast.

The slides were made from a single glass slide in each case which was stamped with leaf stamps and a trellis in Stazon in Olive Green and Black, on both sides. Care is needed to avoid slipping with the images on the glass. Once dry the slides were backed with a green backing paper applied to the slide with Glossy accents. The edges of the slides were then rubbed against the Versamark pad and dipped into fine detail Silver Embossing Powder before heating to melt with a heat tool. The backs were given a direct to paper coat of the lime green Chalk Ink. The finishing touch was to apply two black flat backed faceted gems to the front of the slide mailer.

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'Perfect Recall' card

Here is another card I have made in retro blue & green. I used a cream hammered card as the base and cut and scored to C6 size. I selected some suitable green/blue floral background paper (Basic Grey - Gypsy), edged with aquamarine chalk ink and applied as a mat leaving 1/4 inch of the base card showing. I then took some pale green cardstock and stamped with Versamark a random floral design which i then heat embossed using green embossing powder. This was cut to a mat, edged with the same chalk ink and applied to the centre of the card. Two tags were added (K & Co), again edged with chalk ink, and held in place with pale green floral brads. A making memories mag stamp was used to stamp with Versamark and heat emboss with gold EP the word 'mem.or.ies' on the same pale green card. This was cut to size and edged with chalk ink before applying the plate on 2mm foam pads. The card was finished with glossy accents added to the centres of the background flowers to add dimension.

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Pink Tag

Well, whilst I am on a pink theme here is a tag I made from ordinary peach cardstock and my Cricut machine. The cartridge I used was Tags, Bags, Boxes & More. Great for cutting tags at most sizes.........and so quick too !




I used a flower stamp for the background with Versamark ink and coloured with Cosmic Shimmer Mica Glitter pigments which I applied with a soft brush then wiped away the excess. I then coated the tag with a layer of Lumiere acrylic paint in Hi-Lite Blue (iridescent). This is transparent so the flower images showed through the layer. Once dry I applied a random layer of Ranger Crackle paint in Worn Lipstick with the applicator brush. Whilst wet I shook on some purple glitter which adhered onto the wet paint. The crackle is very subtle because I only applied a very thin coat. I then edged the tag with red chalk ink and applied some with the edge of the pad onto the surface. Finishing off with a short piece of pink organza ribbon threaded through the hole. As usual the iridescent finish is not obvious but looks really effective in the light.

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Altered 'Pringles' Container

Well I have been quiet for a while again. Actually have had little time to craft but now I have finished my first altered 'Pringles' container.

I first prepared the contained by giving it two coats of white gesso, allowing to dry between coats.

I used two rubber stamps, one of a rose and the other of a decorative heart and stamped both onto pink tissue with black and blazing red Stazon ink. Once dry I tore the tissue around the stamped images in a random fashion and then adhered this to the gessoed surface of the container with matt paper Mod Podge. I applied ModPodge to the container first and then adhered the tissue with another layer. Some of the layers overlapped producing a pleasing darker shade of pink from the tissue. Also there is some texture produced by not totally flattening the stamped tissue images to the surface.

Once completely dry another coat of the Mod Podge was applied and allowed to dry. The colour on the top rim was produced by using Rich red Embossing Powder over versamark and then heating with an embossing gun to melt. The top and bottom borders were decorated with self adhesive edging and coated with more Mod Podge - I love using this stuff it is great to get messy with !

I have loads of ideas for using cut down Pringles containers but this one I thought would make a great container for a display of artificial silk flowers.

DETAIL

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'Distress' set of ATC's

These 3 ATC's were made for a March challenge on UK Stampers Forum

All three feature heat embossing, stamping and painted backgrounds. I have used various acrylic paints, gesso, TH Distress embossing powders and making memories magnetic alphas to make up appropriate words stamped with black Stazon. Some decorative brads were also used to finish. I used sandpaper to scratch and wear parts of the ATC's. The textures on these ATC's are difficult to pick up on the photos, but in real life they come across as more 3D.

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