STAMPING AND COLOURING ON BLACK CARD

STAMPING ON BLACK CARD

This is the same Martha Stewart stamp I used in the yellow card example from a few weeks back, and is another example of colours I rarely use.  Well....I do love black, but I hardly ever stamp onto it.  I've seen a lot of examples using white embossing powder so thought I'd join the crowd.  I probably should have stopped there as I was quite pleased with the result but decided to keep going and colour in the image with metallic gel pens.  The pens work really well on dark surfaces however the colours don't always appear in quite the same way as they do when used on white cardstock (hence the strange purple inner petals).  If the urge to colour on black strikes me again I will do a little sample swatch BEFORE I start.

RESIN V DIMENSIONAL MAGIC

We bought ourselves a Forstener drill bit....its the sort that drills a large hole with a flat bottom.  My husband is a woodworker and I am (obviously) interested in all things papery so we have been trying some ways of combining the two.

We were aiming at a sort of shiny button effect (with the thought of using it to decorate wooden boxes or jewelry) so we compared paper covered with Dimensional magic to the same covered with two-part resin.  Neither seemed to cause the dye in the (Kaiser) paper to run which was good as I had anticipated we may need to seal it first (I'd still do a test run before a proper project with other papers).  The DM despite my best efforts still had a couple of bubbles.  I'd read that a heat gun would cause them to disappear so duly got out my embossing heat gun and........nothing at all happened to the surface  at all  until the whole thing essentially started to blow up like a big bubblegum bubble and then burst!!!!  This was amusing  but not very encouraging as the end result was all cracked and scratched.  I popped the bubbles on the "second try" effort with a pin, which worked better.  The finish on the two part resin was by far the smoothest and shiniest but it had the effect of greatly darkening the paper which wasn't entirely ideal either.

The end result is that both finishes have potential but drawbacks..........more playtime needed!!!

EMBOSSED DIE CUT OWLS

EMBOSSED DIECUTS

Pop die cuts into embossing folders to "dress them up"l.  this die is one of the Marianne Collectables range.  I've put the owls together slightly differently.  (The tummy of the top one makes a tail in the second) but they share the same parts.  I've left the eyes untouched, as messing around with eyes can end up making them look a bit scary.  The embossing was done on Core'dinations paper and then lightly sanded, to highlight the detail.

BEADED PAPER CARDS

CARD WITH BLACK BEAD DETAIL

CLOSE-UP DETAIL OF BLACK BEAD CARD

 I seem to have amassed a huge quantity of seed beads for reasons that have been lost in the clouds of time.  Even although the quantity used in these examples barely make a dent in the collection it is one way of putting a few to a good use.

These super quick cards are just a combination of some Graphic 45 paper a couple of diecuts (Spellbinders and Cuttlebug) and a few seed beads, sewn on with gold thread.

If you pierce the holes prior to sewing there's less chance of tearing the paper.

CLOSE UP OF CARD WITH IVORY BEADS

YELLOW 3D FLOWER

YELLOW CARD WITH 3D FLOWER

I have to confess that I use this technique a lot so I'm cheating a bit  this week.  It is, however, something I haven't done a post on before, so it might be of use to someone as an idea to try.

The stamps are from Martha Stewart.  The three flowers (all of slightly different shape and of decreasing size) have all been stamped on 150g paper, cut out and then reassembled with foam sticky dots between each layer to make a 3d effect.  

The thing I have done which is new to me, is use yellow ink!  I know it sounds silly but I think I have somehow managed to stamp for the best part of thirty years without ever owning a yellow ink pad before now!!!  White mesh and two different embossing patterns give the overall card a nice textured look (and feel), although its not at all the sort of card I would usually make.

GLITTER BALLOONS

GLITTER BALLOONS

As you can see, the glitter and dimensional magic is still out on the craft table.

The glitter I've used in this example is an extremely chunky one (some may go so far as to say cheap and nasty).  Every time I've tried to use this is just sort of collect in clumps and bits fall off the page.  Before consigning it to the rubbish I've given it one last try.

For this sample I've die cut balloons (using a Cuttlebug die) form acetate, and applied the glitter to the underside using dimensional magic instead of glue so the top is glittery but smooth.

The picture (I've cheated and drawn in some "strings" digitally) doesn't really do the end result justice.  Its not a hundred percent fine (you can see where I've failed to fill to the edge in the smallest balloon) but I'm happy enough with the end product to put the glitter back on the shelf instead of in the bin.

HEARTS WITH DIMENSIONAL MAGIC

DIMENSIONAL MAGIC OVER GLITTER PAPER

DIMENSIONAL MAGIC WITH GLITTER SPRINKLE

This week I've been playing with dimensional magic and glitter.  I have to confess I'm not very good at using either of them.   Tempted as I am to throw up my hands and declare that "its all no good,"  I know that what I really need to do is practise using both, so.......
The first sample is just a piece of Kaiser paper with glitter already in place, stuck to a wooden heart shape and covered with a layer of dimensional magic.  I inked the edges with gold ink first, although you can't really see this in the picture.  The dimensional  magic tones down the glitter a bit but the result is OK.  The second sample is on a die cut of thick card, painted pink, then covered with dimensional magic with glitter sprinkled on top.

Two of the issues I have with dimensional magic and similar products are that I almost always end up with bubbles and that the material I use as a base almost always buckles. Both have been avoided here.....really its a matter of not rushing things.  I let the dimensional magic flow of its own accord, resisting the urge to shake or squeeze it, and then carefully popped the few little air bubbles with a pin.  ( I even had the heat gun out in case I needed to smooth them out with this but it proved unneccessary).  As for the second issue, it didn't arise due to the thickness of the bases.  I guess I should try some other samples using thinner bases and perhaps sealing them first?  Perhaps for a later post.........

OBSCURING TEXT FROM BOOK PAGES

PAGES WITH PAINT

PAGES WITH GESSO

WOVEN GESSO STRIPS

I've been playing around with old book pages over the last few weeks.  The hardest bit was biting the bullet and actually tearing up a book!!!   In the end this one was a very old paperback which had pages missing and which was falling apart.  Plus I already had another copy!  Even so........Having finally cleared the first hurdle the rest has been comparatively easy.

One of the issues faced when using book pages for craft projects is that sometimes the actual words on the page are inappropriate.  I gave some of the pages a light coating of acrylic paint  - a second light coat would have obscured the words sufficiently whilst still retaining the look of text.  For the second sample I used gesso, with similar results.  The main difference was that the latter was "toothier" and would probably make a better base for stamping etc.

If you're still worrying about the text being too readable, you could always cut your paper into strips and weave it together as shown in the third picture!

EYESHADOW/CHALK STAMP AND BACKGROUND

EYESHADOW IMAGE WITH BACKGROUND

I'm still playing with my eyeshadow set (a couple of dollars is going a really long way).  Back in January I posted a picture of a peacock stamp which I'd dusted with a variety of colours.  Subsequently I've used them to colour a background for stamping.

Add caption

I wondered if applying them more liberally to  a watermark ink stamped image (this one is Graphic 45 from Hampton Art) would kill two birds with one stone by making both image and background, or whether it would just end up as a murky mess.  Well....here are the results...OK I think.  I used blue and magenta.  (And every time I use colours such as these I smile as I imagine the reaction if I actually used the eyeshadows as intended... a whole new look for work on Monday??)

SCALLOPED CIRCLE SPIRELLI

SCALLOPED CIRCLE SPIRELLI

Looking for something else to do with your scalloped circle hole punches or die cuts?  How about wrapping them in some thread.  I've used a fairly thick variegated embroidery thread (unfortunately you can't really see the colours very well in the photo), and just taped it to the back to begin.  If you want a large hole in the middle don't skip over too many scallops when you are winding.  For a small hole, do the reverse.  Just keep going sequentially until there are two threads from each gap, and then tape the end to the back to finish.

EASY LAYERED FLOWER

Here's another easy flower to make using layered punched or die cut flowers.  Most shapes will work, just duplicate the base layer and then cut a section from the next shape. Remove  a slightly larger piece from each subsequent layer.  Overlap the edges and secure with double sided tape or glue.  Pierce a small hole in the base of each shape and layer from flattest to most curled and secure with a split pin.

THREE LAYER PAPER CARD

 I bought this pretty pink card a few years ago at Tokyo airport. I just loved the way it was constructed, and so decided to make my own.  The middle (burgundy) layer is longest, and is pleated at one end.  This means that the card can be closed by tucking the other side into a fold.  Its a little hard to see from the photo, but I have used a light mulberry paper with a lot of plant fibre for the orange cover, a burgundy embossed paper for the middle, and a  gold shimmer for the interior.  This card is a real treat for paper lovers, and really need no extra decoration.

MODELLING PASTE FAUX EMBOSSING

I came across a container of modelling paste a few weeks ago and couldn't resist.  I have never used it before and so obviously have a lot to learn...hence this week's post is about the most simple thing you can do with it.  To produce the image on the left, all I did was to hold (not even tape, although I probably should have done so) one of my old brass stencils on top of a piece of light card and spread some modelling paste over the top using an old credit card.  This was the result when the stencil was lifted off.  As you can see its a bit rough and ready but has a lot of potential.  I can't wait to try some other techniques!!

EYESHADOW BACKGROUND

Eyeshadows as a background for stamping

Here is another eyeshadow idea....using it to create a "sunset" background for these tree stamps from Rubbadubbadoo.  I like the softness of the result of simply stamping over the chalked (eyeshadowed) background with black pigment ink,  but I might try stamping and embossing for a future post to compare results.

LAYERED FLOWER

SIMPLE LAYERED FLOWER

A nice easy technique for this week...simply chose three or more punches of the same shape but of a different size, cut one or two of each size, stack them (offsetting the petals) and secure with a split pin.  Gently shape the petals.  You can do this with your fingers after construction or, if you want a more shaped result, use an embossing or paper tole tool on a soft mat to add dimension before assembling.  Of course, option three is just to stack them up with no shaping at all, which can sometimes be most appropriate, especially if you are using it on a card that needs to be posted flat in an envelope