Asian Hope

Okay....I messed up on the SCS sketch challenge again...nothing new for me. I'm always missing details. That's why I can't read directions, I have to have hands on training for everything!!! Sooooooo, I'm trying to redeem myself here.

This was a very fun card to make, because I love doing Polished stone backgrounds. In fact, so does my daughter...about the only thing she'll do in *THE STAMP ROOM*. I used my Inkssetials Ink Blending Tool that I got at Rubbernecker to ink up my glossy CS. I only used three inks....Adirondack alcohol inks Red Pepper and Mushroom, and a touch of Ssukineko Ultimate Metallic gold ink (I've had this guy forever, don't know where or when I got him, so your best bet is to use a Adirondack gold mixative...I didn't have that) After loading the blending tool with ink, I randomly stamped all over the CS until I got the color and design I liked best. Now, here's the cool part.....Then I just let drops of Adirondack Alcohol Blending solution fall where they may on the inked up glossy. SO COOL!!!!! It softens the colors and gives it an awesome marbled look!! No two papers turn out the same...so try different pieces. It's so fun to see what new design you can come up with.

Next, I used my SU stamping buddy to make sure there was no static on my bg, and I stamped the Asian Stamp Oasis Image from Rubbernedker image with Ranger Black Soot Distress ink and embossed with black embossing powder. I then colored the bird, leaves, moon and mountain top with my Sakura Souffle pens...They are my ultimate favorite paint pens. They disperse ink evenly and don't clog!! Love 'em. That's it for the main image.

The bg was cuttlebugged with the stylized flowers embossing folder

All the edges are ink distressed with Ranger Tea Dye Distress Ink.

The flower by the bow was inspired by Jeanne S's card found here: Cheap
The card needed something, and I thought flowers. I had three down in the corner, but it was too much...it took away from the image. Then I put one in the corner, and it looked like it was just floating. So I ended up putting it under the ribbon. Woila...I loved the look. Then I had to remember where I'd seen it before. Thanks Jeanne for the inspiration. You saved my unbalanced card!!! *grin*




Supplies:
Stamps - Stamp Oasis by Rubbernecker
Paper - Bazzill and SU Glossy White, Black
Ink - Adirondack Alcohol inks: Red Pepper, Mushroom, Ranger Distress inks: Black Soot and Tea Dye, Tsukineko Gold metallic
Accessories - Alcohol Blending solution, Jo-Ann's Organdy Ribbon, Prima flower, Adornit gem, cuttlebug, sponge, scotch dimensional tape

Navigating

I'm finally getting to my second post. It was super crazy on my part to start a blog, then change all my stuff over from a windows based computer to a mac!!! Yikes!! For someone as computer illiterate as I am, I've been struggling all morning with uploading my card pictures....finding where they were uploaded...trying to edit them, and then figure out how to find all *my favorites* that I had stored on my other computer. I never did find my favorites. =( Then my satellite server wouldn't let me upload. Apparently...according to the company, I had used up all my "allotted" time. So, I'm finally here!! Woot!

Well, while I was having all my information transferred to my new mac, I made a couple of cards. One, I'm a little happy with, the other....well, lets just say it's done. I wanted to show you two different ways to use Rubbernecker's snowflake background.

I created the bg by inking up a cottonball with about 8 drops of Slate Adirondack alcohol ink and 3 drops of blending solution. I then tapped it randomly all over the glossy white cardstock. Then I used white craft ink and white embossing powder to stamp the snowflake bg.

I stamped the tree image with Tim Holtz Black Soot distress ink and embossed it with black embossing powder!! I'm a huge fan of these distress inks because there's a couple minute window that it remains wet enough to emboss. Awesome stuff!! For the tree I used my Sakura Quickie Glue Pen. Another favorite tool of mine. It looks like a regular pen, and doesn't clog!! Ever!!! Not only that, but it's a light blue when wet, so you can see in the pen how much further you have to go until empty!! And believe me....they go far. Also...you get the finest detailed lines!! You can outline letters perfectly, or color in an image like the tree. And the absolute best part......................it has a huge window of use. I colored in the whole tree before putting the glitter on. It will look dry....but it's not. You can color your whole image before glittering. How cool is that?!?!

The black piece is a nestablitiy square scallop that I ran through my cuttlebug!! Love both!!

Stamps: Rubbernecker
Paper: Black, white glossy, bazzill gray
Ink: Tim Holtz Black Soot Distress Ink
Accessories: Quickie Glue pen, heat tool, black embossing powder, white embossing powder, brads, nestabilities, twill ribbon, corner ticket punch, slate Adirondack Alcohol ink, Adirondack blending solution, Art Institute glitter: tang, spruce and crystal



For this card, I stamped the snowflake bg with The essential Glue Pad, then sprinkled ultrafine crystal glitter over it. How easy is that?!?! I wish I would have stamped the peace on white instead of silver....a lesson learned. It was also stamped with the Essential Glue Pad and sprinkled with Christmas Red Art Institute Glitter. The holly was freehanded with Lime Ice and Christmas Ice stickles. And the middle bg was run through the cuttlebug with the swirl folder. I used the nestability scallop oval and dotted each scallop with a silver zig pen. There ya have it.

Stamps: Rubbernecker
Paper: Real Red, black, silver
Ink: The essential glue pad
Accessories: Art Institute Christmas Red, Stickles, nestabilities, cuttlebug, corner ticket punch, zig pen, ribbon, dimensional tape

It's official!!

Well, it's official now. I'm a blogger. I didn't ever plan on starting a blog, but there are some awesome tools and techniques that I'd like to share with you. So.....here it is....my first blog home!! I'm still learning the ropes, so please be patient.



I'd like to start by sharing a card I made recently with Rubbernecker Stamps.
All the supplies you need to make this card can be found here:
Rubbernecker Stamp Company
The card is 5 1/4 x 5 1/4; one of my favorite sizes to work with. I cut the base to shape and added the other layers as follows: Purely Pomegranate 5 x5, Certainly celery 4 3/4 x 4 3/4, then glossy 4 5/8 x 4 5/8.

I used the polished stone technique on the glossy with Adirondack alcohol inks: oregano and copper. I also used the blending solution.
All you do is take a cotton ball, put about 5 drops of the oregano on it and 1 drop of the copper. I added about 1 -2 drops of the blending solution to lighten it up and help it spread better on the glossy paper. Then just tap around the glossy until you get the look you want. You might have to add more ink and solution depending on the size of the space you are trying to cover. Rubbernecker carries an ink blending tool that makes this much easier, but I don't have that yet.

The hinges are covered with the same inks, and attached them both with hot glue. I distressed the brads by rubbing sandpaper over them. The binding is
1 1/2 x 1 1/2 and is wrapped around the edge of the card to give it a "book" look. I need to take this time to tell you about these awesome hinges!! They're grungeboard. You can bend it, scrunch it, twist it and it still retains its shape. Because of that, it's flexible and moves with the card. It also holds color extremely well and is textured. It's quite awesome stuff and can be found at www.rubbernecker.com Tim Holtz gives an awesome tutorial on how to use it at that website. Check it out!!

The flower was first stamped on watercolor paper with versamark pigment ink and embossed with black embossing powder. I then watercolored it with Adirondack reinkers: Butterscotch, Wild Plum and Bottle. I used an aqua pen to color the image. Finally I added a light layer of glue with the Sakura Quickie Glue Pen and sprinkled ultrafine crystal glitter over the stamen.

The background panel and flower are both lifted with dimensionals, and the petals are all cut into the center to give them the look of movement.

I hope this helps explain a bit about how this card was made. This is my first tutorial...Yikes!!

Recipie: Stamps - Rubbernecker - Bold floral
Inks - Versamark, Adirondack: Butterscotch, Wild Plum, Bottle, Adirondack Alcohol ink: oregano and copper, blending solution
Paper: Black, su purely pomegranate, certainly celery, glossy white, watercolor
Accessories: Grungeboard, brads, Sakura Quickie Glue Pen, Ultrafine glitter, aqua pen, sanding block, dimensional tape