Keepsake Embossing Boards

My blog today is about Keepsake embossing Boards .......You must try the Glitter Girls Keepsake boards,its opened a whole new dimension in cardmaking for me,and I love playing around making new designs with them.

This one above is my latest board called Tall Stories,the butterflies are done with my cuttlebug machine, layered up,then with accent beads through the middle,i just love butterflies,they mean "love" so someone told me.so makes sense to put on cards to send to people you love.
The rose background paper on this card was printed off from one of my many CD's proberly a Joanna Sheene one,i really admire this lady a true artist,and lovely personality.

So not much to tell you about how i made this,so quick and easy,its just thinking up the ideas,which is the fun part of any cardmaking and Artwork.Also i,m lucky enough to have horded all this craft stuff,collected over the years,i just need a bigger flat haha.Its just so addictive and getting to the stage where i must not walk into a craft shop,or Ebay ! lol

When i think about crafting,its not really about what craft stuff you have,although it helps to have all this fancy latest state of the art machines etc........you can create or recycle bits with some imagination,which i have done in the past............ i,m just addicted to trying everything out that comes onto the market !Being retired helps it all keeps me occupied,so i do count myself lucky in that way.

Hope you enjoyed looking,that makes it all worth while.

Altered Art

Altered Book

I love to alter books,i suppose you can call it recycling,as i pick them up in charity shops.

The picture is one i have just started,it was a childs board book,quite small and not many pages.

The inside pages i stick together to make them thicker,then use a number of techniques throughout the book,including,Gesso,torn pages,pockets,tags,braids,lace buttons etc,whatever the theme dictates to me.

I just love it as i can use up all my bits and piece's and recycle more of my stash lol.

This picture is of the cover,i found the emblem in a Maltese craft store,which is made of chipboard,and thought ahhhhh i can use that !

So to start i stuck it on with a good strong glue,then decided to do a Acrylic landscape all over the cover, back and front,acrylics dry quick,which helps,so i can get on and do the inside pages now !

Checkout

http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/on-going-arty-girlz-recycling-challenge.html

An Inky day !

Stampbord

Today i,m covered in ink !I decided to make some backgrounds and try out Stampbord,the only way to do it was use inks,I only heard about Stampbord this year,and bought some ATC size a few months back,it takes ink well and you can scrape out highlights,or if you muck it up sand it down and start again which is good !

The top background is just a try out,but the colours are so vibrant using inks I decided to bring them out even more using Dimensional Magic.But before doing that i stamped an oriental fan onto the dried ink's.

The other backgrounds above are using mica powder (Perfect Pearls) sprayed with my homemade ink and some gold,the pic does not do it justice,in real life its very sparkly and shimmers.

Same thing with the blue one only i dabbed a paper towel on top to give a pattern

Give it a try! if you dont mind getting messy haha.

Shrink Plastic

Shrink Plastic on ATC

Blogging today about shrink plastic,loveeeeeee it !

It can be a bit tricky,especially large pieces,i wont go into explaining how to do it as the instructions are on the packet,i use a hotgun rather than heating up the oven for this.

On this ATC i decided to show how much smaller it shrinks to the original rubber stamp,as you see the large image is background the shrink'd piece forground.using the same stamp.

You dont have to use rubber stamps with this,so many possibilities with your own artwork.

You can colour/paint the image before shrinking,but i chose black and white for my theme.

Its an amazing technique to try.......enjoy !

Oriental

Oriental

My one passion is anything oriental,i hear it is quite popular at the moment,so thought i would do todays blog about the above card,which is a bit more complex than the norm.

For some reason Oriental Art is depicted by certain colours,i dont know why,but it certainly works !

Those colours being,black red and golds......

But i have tried using different colours with this card to see if it works.

I started off with black card stock as my base,then stamped my oriental lady onto beige paper with black ink pad,then tore the edges which i bordered with gold Krylon pen.

Next i cut a circle and stamped the same image into it on black card,this image i coloured in with paints,then used Dimensional Magic to make a hard glass like surface,this bought the colours out beautifully !

Last embellishing with a gold dragonfly charm.

Hope you enjoy the effect i was quite pleased with this,not so rich as reds and golds though.

Inked Backgrounds

Ink it up!

Backgrounds for cards are normally easy you can find them just about anywhere, example=downloadable printables,CD.s,wallpaper,the list goes on,even wrapping papers,but i dont like easy :))

I love to make my own with inks/acrylics/crumpled Paper/Stamping/Chalk's,another list that goes on,but its all down to the Art and your imagination !
These two example pictures at the top are created withAdirondack Alcohol ink,i am now making my own inks with Dylon clothing Dye's,just to see if i can haha,it works for me !

I start off with some pieces of Glossy card stock or photo paper,Then proceed to drop the ink onto the paper or sprinkle different colours then rotatethe paper/card,so the ink runs in different directions,as i go, i may drop in some more,WOW so exciting to watch as the colours intermingle with each other,its just amazing,i get a real buzz !
i could spend a day just making backgrounds,then stash them away,for the next card creation or ATC's.

Checkout

http://artygirlzchallengeblog.blogspot.com/

Silhouette Card

Silhouette Card

Another one of todays efforts !

Just layered and Stamped

The oval was made with my keepsake board.

Cuttlebug Embossing

Cuttlebug Embossing

This is my daily creation

Everyday i try to create something,so today as i had a new cuttlebug embossing folder i thought i would give it a try.

The background on silver mirror card is embossed with my new toy....very pleased so many lovely backgrounds i can make with this !

I layered it up with same onto lilac vellum then made the flower with vellum this was embossed with a Keepsake board then cut out,flower added.

A simple quick card,if you have the right tools !

The tiny flowers are done with a punch then fixed on with brads.

Pocket Cards

This pocket has just a pullout card with verse for a Birthday inside

ribbons attached to pull.

CD Pocket Card

Pocket Card with Altered CD

Todays Idea's

I thought ummm lets try a pocket card to get away from the norm,i found some pretty backing papers to match,also a square ready made blank card,and a discarded CD

Covering the CD with the backing paper using Mod Podge,then used my glitter pens (Sukra)

also my glue pen,to sprinkle some more glitter around the flower centers.(Peewee Glitters)

Edging the CD with my silver Krylon pen,i was pleased with the outcome.

The actual pocket, is backed with the flower paper layered on silver miri card.,added a stamped fairy cutout(also glittered),stuck on with silicone glue .

Then making an oval the same way glued this onto the card as you see,edged with Krylon.

Looking in my craftbox for a topper,i came across the butterfly,which before throwing away an old pair of slippers i cut these off ! haha my motto is never throw anything,i may need it lol.

The CD will go inside the pocket when dry and a sentiment added.

Now back to do some creating in my altered Book !

Am i obsessed with crafting ?

ummm maybe :))

Crumpled Paper Background

Since posting my last blog i have been busy learning and creating new techniques,this is just one that amazed me !just had to blog it !

All you need is

White PC copy paper

2 different colour inkpads that match

Embossing powder

Versamark pad

Hotgun

and an iron !

First off , taking a piece of copy paper and crumpled it,then flattened it out you can see the creases and peaks.

Next get your inkpads and swipe them over, a mingling of colours.

I then used my Versamark pad(which is really glue) and gently placed some silver embossing powder over it ,then heated with a hotgun,till the silver which i used had melted.

then when dry just swiped again with more colour.

As you see you couldnt layer this on a card,it needs to be flat,thats where the iron comes in !

How easy is that *smiles i love it !

Here is the finished card

Hope you enjoy as much a i did.

Friendship Card

This is a Friendship Card

Background gold shiny card stock

Torn piece of background paper

Tags covered in same.

Now comes the exciting bit making the butterflys !

I first stamped on acetate the butterflys with a black Stazon pad,proceeded to colour in with Sukura stardust pen's they are so glittery and beautiful colours,after cutting them out,

I then attached them onto the tags(wished i had edged the tags in gold now !)

with brads,added a couple of paper flowers at the edge.