February boy

Seems like I can't get away without making a scene fairly often! I had such fun making this one! First of all, I knew I would get to use my copics and then secondly, it is always a little bit of a challenge to come up with something cute.I am hoping you think I managed both! I know the owl is a bit large, but I love that guy - he has google eyes by the way! I stamped the fishing one letter at a time. I am pretty pleased with the way it came out. Those clouds are a single cloud stamp. I finally broke down and bought a cloud! Its a whole lot easier than drawing them!! At least for me. The message "Fishing you    Happy Birthday" got in my head and I just had to find something to use it on!! I thought it was just too cute and you know how that is! The fish, bobber and Edwin's wings are Spica pen so they are glittery in the right light. I did the water with zigzag strokes of copics - used three different colors. There are two colors in the grass. And then used the spica to make some waves. I really liked the way it came out. Actually it was a supreme accident! So was the ribbon borders and I know I will do them again. The inside is heat embossed with white embossing powder.

Originally I was going to paper piece the balloons, but ended up liking them way too much and just left them alone. Of course I use a stamp-a-ma-jig to layout my scenes. I am really getting much better at actually using it for more things - like placing letters. It sure makes life much easier and doesn't take much time at all. So here are the copics I used: Y21,Y26, Y28, Y17, B91, B93, B97, YR23, Y08, B00, B0000, E25, E00, E11, E37, E29, E18, E33, E31, E35, E41, E21, R20, YG03, YG63, YG67, YG11, SPICA 03, 00, 11, 18. Sure seems like a lot of colors when you look at the picture! I imagine everyone is as excited about seeing all the new products being released at CHA as I am! So far there is only one thing I just have to have no matter what - that is at least one of the new distress markers from Tim Holtz! I finally have almost all my stamps organized so its going to take something beyond beyond for me to buy more before I am completely done.

My biggest and best suggestion is no matter how you store your stamps, you really should make a category divided notebook of each stamp. My categories include: people, flowers and vegetables, background stamps, scene items, words, vehicles. I stamp every stamp into that notebook (it is looseleaf and really not neat at all!) and then near that image I tell where it is stored. I have my wooden ones in huge boxes (2 rows high), my cling and clear stamps take a bit more explaination - I will take some photos and post my way of storage shortly. I look through my notebook and decide what I am doing. Then I go get the stamps and voila! If I am not sure of the size, I can measure the image in my book. Since I redid the cling, I have pretty much decided to unmount my wood stamps and store them like the other ones. I find I go to the cling/clear first because its so easy to find them and put them back.

Please leave me a comment and tell me if you think I am improving. I am really wanting to streamline my processes so I hope I haven't lost any quality. What do you think? Hugs to you all, Barb F

Card Sets

First of all the link in my last post was wrong.  I corrected it just now so if you try it again you will get instructions on making this neat one piece box. It is the perfect size to hold six cards with some embellishment and not cramp them. Here are two sets I made last night. One is for my daughter who is ill again. Thought it would cheer her up and both sets took less time to make than a card! This can't get any more simple! Someone emailed me to ask me to elaborate on the class I just took. Thought I would wait until Sunday but found I had a little time today. So here goes:

When you take a class, you really should remember that all the instruction you receive is private and there is a limit on how you share. The class is actually available to take, just not the prize part. And you know, nobody takes a class just for the prize part, since very few people actually win one! But there were some basic things that "everyone" knows somewhere just forgot about. Those things I could share. So I decided that I will share with you how to make this card set. It is entirely my design, came from my thoughts, not something I actually learned in this class but maybe. I know that doesn't make much sense so I am going to stop rambling and tell you how to make this little set. You will need one of those one piece boxes I got on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLeSul16EiTbFGZtJV3FdTBw&v=xsWsD5Dhj5E&feature=player_detailpage
Let's hope this is the correct link. Just in case, it is called "greeting card box" and is done by Jacque1263.
Next I cut 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of neutral cardstock down the center making two 4 1/4 x 11 pieces from each. Fold the 11 side in half (5 1/2) and you have a standard a2 size card. Next pick out a big background stamp from your stash. I didn't want to cover the entire background of my card, so I turned the stamp sideways. They are stamped with shadow inks from Hero Arts. I use the light colors a lot for subtle backgrounds. By turning your stamp, it lets you lay your card down and use the same part of the stamp and not have to measure! Then I stamped my sentiments using dye ink as it cleans up so easily with water. Some people use the same sentiment more than once in a set. I didn't. Just because I am realizing I have a bazillion stamps I forgot about. (That topic is for another long post). I punched out a bunch of tiny butterflies. The ones on set 1 were colored with copics rather quickly. They are from a stamp/die set from Hero Arts. I am going to start charging them!!!! Hahaha!! It is a new product and I love it. However, it was taking way too much time, so I switched to the butterfly punch and used some of my precious paper!!
Next I tied the ribbons. By doing two sets at the same time, you end up saving a lot of it!! Time, that is! Then you glue on the butterflies. I used glue dots, but there are lots of glues you could have used. Then on set 2, you will notice one of the cards has double butterflies. The pattern ones seemed to get lost, so I took them off and layered them with a solid color so they would be noticeable. I got braver on my paper selection for card set 2 box and love how it came out. Since these were quickies, I just didn't decorate the boxes. I do try to make my ribbons on boxes removeable without untying them.
I hope my directions were clear as this really is a quick way to make a card. I think they are pretty and believe it or not, there are no stickles anywhere and no roses and they would send individually through the mail at a normal postage rate (which just went up)!! I am getting tired of spending $2 or so to send a card that takes me forever to make. So the "fancy" ones are now just for family and super close friends! Hugs to you all, Barb F

January birthday and more

Herre is a new birthday card - I am sure you will see that the card class I took did have an effect. I love the way this card came out and it is actually missing some of my usual components. Guess I am finally learning when to stop?!!
And this is the inside. The cupcake and the "sweet thing" are from a cling set. And on the inside, I stamped the flaming candles over the ones on the cake. The cardstock is a fairly bright yellow, so the colors aren't quite as bright as in real life. I also did something a little different with the ribbon on the front.  Here are the copics I used: E00. E11, E43, E47, E33, E35, E37, E21, YG11, YG13, YG17, R20, RV21, RV23, RV29, Y08, C1, C2. I wrote over the sweet with a copic.  I was floundering around on youtube and an inspiration hit me - wouldn't a card set be a neat thing to send along with this card? It's for a granddaughter. So I searched for an a2 sized box and here is the link for this fab box!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=FLeSul16EiTbFGZtJV3FdTBw&v=xsWsD5Dhj5E&feature=player_detailpage
Sorry the link I posted was not the one I wanted! Just fixed it!

The box is made from a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock or heavier paper. It is one piece and just so neat!

I decorated the outside of the box and tied it with a ribbon that isn't too tight to slip on and off without untying. I took a photo of the cards in the box. If you are going for no raised embellishments, I am sure you can get 8 plus envelopes into the box. I made a nice even 6 . I started making them basically the same but got quickly bored, so they aren't! None of them are copic colored. I used mostly dye ink as the clean up is a snap! Next time I will make a card that I can replicate without it bothering me. It is such a nice little gift. Hope she likes it! Of course I am sending a check along also!!

I used the little memento inks since I have a whole lot of colors, I was able to do each card in its own color. I also added a little touch to each envelope to make little sets. Give this little box a try. It's really amazing that I made two and they both held the cards and both closed! Hugs to you all! Barb F

Fun Technique

This card is stamped and white heat embossed. You then color it with Prismacolor colored pencils. It really was fun and I just love how pretty it comes out! You saw a similar uncolored version of this card that I used for a condolence card. The stamp is probably my all time fav - a rubber, wood-mounted Hero arts stamp. This card is a standard A2 so that should give you an idea of size. I thought the bow a nice touch but it really isn't necessary. My lovely class is over except for the wrapup on Monday. I am sure going to  miss it. I am working on my next birthday card and it has a Magnolia image on it. Hugs to you all, Barb F

Very Productive Night

Couldn't sleep last night, so got up and made a card. This one is a super neat technique! The "blossom" is made from folded small circles! I just love it and of course it was just a little too simple for me, so I stamped the background and added a tiny bow. Just had to add more! OK!! I learned something really important also that I thought I would pass along - most of the background stamps (the big ones) seem to allow for a 1/4" border all around the image. Hero Arts border stamps actually cover 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. So it was by accident that I realized this last night. If you are wanting your background to cover the whole card you have a choice, you can cut the card down or have a border. Or use Hero Arts. I am not sure all the stamps are like that, so measure them before you use them and get disappointed. We had another condolence card I had to make in a hurry and Jennifer McGuire's latest proved to be a really pretty card. I will be posting a colored one soon. She showed the stamping on black with white ink and then coloring the image. It is knockout! I thought when I first stamped this that it was perfect for my condolence card as it and used Gina K's method of gold embossing the edges to make it a little more elegant. So here are both cards!

This one has a hole cut in the front and a dashed line around the opening done with colored ink.

Don't think the gold embossing is showing too well. The color is really all off, but the photo is clear. This backgound is BLACK!, the image is stamped in WHITE and the edges are GOLD!! I thought it came out really nice and can't rephoto it as its already in the mail! Let me know which you like best! Hugs to you all, Barb F

Day 5 stuff Clean & Simple

For anyone who is taking this class, you knew I would do this technique! It is a wet distress ink. You actually wet the distress with pearl water before you put it on. Wonderful!! Jennifer McGuire of course!!! She is about the best in my opinion. So without anymore teases, here are two takes on the same technique.

This one with the white border is already in the mail as a condolence card. It is a separate piece as I wanted my edges to be defined. So I inked them. On the blue one, my image wasn't very visible, so I lightly inked over it with vintage photo. My message stamp is not in the best condition which accounts for its unreadability. This one is really shiny and I just love it! The first one was my first choice for that condolence card. I think it looked more professional. Oh well, we know its not! Love, love this technique. I will surely use it again! Hugs to you all, Barb F

Wow! Lots to see!

So I have 2 clean and simple cards and 1 birthday card for you today. I have been busy!

I cut the letters on my cuttlebug - that is a first for me. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but the cricut is a lot easier! Used that mono stuff glue and its wonderful. It has a green and white bottle. I glued the letters onto a piece of vellum and cut it fairly close to the letters. The background is a butterfly punch. Inked the edges with the fall purple distress ink. Perfect color! The tiny butterfly is also a punch. It looked odd to me, so I added the stickles. I like it now! Had to add them to the little butterfly so you could see it!

This one was so much fun! Cut the postage stamp edge with an edge punch. Made the tiny envelope on the cricut. The tiny heart is again the center of my double heart punch. The post card stamp is  stamped in a dark brown memento ink. Then I masked the image and stamped the background with a words stamp (I think it might be in French) with Hero arts light brown shadow ink. This is on an ecru cardstock. The edge was lost, so I masked a straight line on the inside of the card and sponged on the darker ink. Love how it came out! The message is "what lovely news" and from Gina K.

This one is on Kraft cardstock. I stamped various little kitchen stamps on the background with that same brown memento ink. Dragged out my corner frame punch for the frame for my little picture.  The copics I used are: Y21, Y28, Y26, E00, E11, R20, YR23, E25, B91, B93, B95, C1, C2, C3, G21 and Spica colors: 21, 09, 00. It felt so wonderful to put a ribbon on a card! And flowers and stickles and little gems (they are in the corners of the frame).  The gal this is for just redid her kitchen, so I kind of thought it appropriate for her.  And here is the inside.

The color didn't photograph well as it is the same as the outside! I used Tim Holtz paper for the calendar and frame around it.The little tag is colored with the spica pens, and her name is on the reverse side. It is tied with brown and white bakers twine. The Happy Birthday is heat embossed white. Don't know why it photographed so poorly. I stamped the inside to match the outside with the kitchen things. This is also the first time I tried the new copics paper! Got to say, it was much easier to color on. It blended much easier, was a whole lot easier to stay inside of the lines also. It is wonderfully smooth to the touch. I think that when I got into digital stamping and had so much trouble finding the right combo for me so the copics wouldn't run, that it was really a good thing. I colored on Staples cardstock. It was tricky, but I kept at it. I really learned a lot about how I color. There is a paper out there for everyone. We all color differently - some of us have a light touch (I think you have to learn this one) and some of us put way too much ink down and then have to fix it. Like everything, you have to be better at fixing than doing!! Practice, but do fix as that is when you really learn. Hope you all like what I am doing. I am loving this Clean and Simple class! Hugs to you all, please leave me a comment so I know whether you like my stuff or not!! Barb F

C&S Day 3 and a little explaination

This one is supposed to have been done using the same cardstock for the raised cutouts. I really didn't like that look so I changed it a bit. Cut these out on the cricut. The tiny hearts (light colored) are the centers from a double heart punch. Found a tiny clear heart stamp in my collection but it had a border around it. I decided I hadn't ever used it with the border, so I cut the border off! The background stamping was an accident and really not part of this card. I stamped my happy (heart) day stamp and it was a bit crooked. Well, there is always the saving fact that you can make a backgound from anything! So I did. I sprayed the whole thing with a perfect pearls mist and let it dry. I can't believe I chose pink for this, but after putting all those hearts on it , it was a good choice!
Now to give you some explaination. I didn't know I could write anything about my clean and simple cards. Found out quite by accident looking at other people's blogs that they did, so I guess I could.  I was dying to tell you about how I chose to do what I did on the other Clean and Simple cards. If you are interested, I am about to edit the last couple of posts with that info so it is close to the card I am talking about. That way if you want to try , you will have it together. Hugs to you all, Barb F

Clean & Simple day 2

Loved making this one with that Tim Holtz die! (my idea of course)
This one started with a sprayed background. You mask off the border so it doesn't get sprayed. I used a very shiny one whose name escapes me. While it was dying, I cut the border die and colored it with the foam tool from Tim Holtz using the distress inks. The message is Gina K and it is raised. That paper under the town is supposed to be like a map. The color was really wrong, so I colored it with distress ink. I can see from the photo, that it really isn't the best match but it does "go". It is also too wide vertically and detracts from the town. I love how the background comes through the die cut and you can bet I will be doing this technique again! I do love that die. Hugs, Barb F

Clean and Simple Day 1 - 2 more

Loved this one! Just my take on the card. This card was done using the "rest" of the cricut cut word thinking. The rest of the cut were the words "of you" I colored the whole thing with copics. This was fun on the thinking part since I don't very often use the broad end of the marker. I found a tiny open heart button in my stash and filled it with stickles! You knew that was coming when you saw the bow!!! I adore this card and will probably be making more.

Very clean and simple and I love this one, too! After hunting through my book, I found these gorgeous hibiscus' They are from 2 different companies but both were rubber stamps. Don't know about the companies of any of these, but love all of them. This card took a couple of minutes once I found the stamps. When this class is over, I will try to do a post on how I am now doing all of my stamps - even digital. Hugs all around, Barb F

Clean & Simple 1

I enrolled in an online class called Clean & Simple cards. So I promised myself that I would really participate and put my cards up as I did them. I am slightly behind, since this is my version of the first card and they are on day 4! There is more than one card per day so that gives you an idea! This one is supposed to have white dashed lines where the stickles line is. Mine was so crooked, that I realized I should have used a ruler! And since I didn't - well, you know, stickles fixes everything and it also looks more like something I would make! But look - no ribbon or flowers! Hope you like it. I did put some info in the sidebar. Hugs to you all, Barb F
So here is my edit - the center of the card is masked off before you stamp. So I was limited to whatever big stamps I had besides the greeting. I cut a few of the clocks out to use as my embellishment. They were a little too large to sit horizontally above my greeting, so I placed them on an angle. Hey, whatever works!

Happy 2012!!

I wish you all a wonderful 2012! Here is a birthday card actually for a late December birthday. It is for a very dear friend who reads a whole lot. So as needlework is my other passion, I made her a corner bookmark. It sits on the corner of a page to mark your place. I know, most of us have given up the ghost and gone electronic, but since she hasn't - she gets a neat gift!

That text is a page from a junk book that has been crumbled and inked with distress ink. As you all know, if a card is for a female, it has to have a bow and flowers! They all have to have glitter! I must keep Ranger in business with all the Stickles I use. Its on the flowers, her barrette, the cup, her top and around the oval. I found I needed those little pearls on this one. This is a Bildmalarna image. The copics are: E00, E11, E33, R20, R81, R85, Y28, Y21, Y11, Y15, YR31, YR20, G21, G28, G99, C2, C3.

The message is from Gina K's group. I am loving how the insides of my cards are coming out now. How about you?  And here is the little needle work thing. It fits inside of the card - how convenient that was!
So right after Christmas, I treated myself to Tim Holtz's new pinecone die. I just fell in love with it! I also love the leaves it makes. Of course I just had to make some and then didn't know what to do with them. I also bought the paint dabber from him - its name escapes me right now but its something like snow cap. It amazed the heck out of me how white it stays after it dries! The blue wreath part is a spellbinder's die and the white embossing is from a matching stamp set by Cindy from Stampingscrapping.com. I fell in love with that set and ordered it about the same time as the pinecone. It took me 3 days to get my desk cleaned off so I could do stuff in my scrap room! I will post what I did with the twinking h2o's that I bought months ago and just finally got up enough courage to try them. I am loving the result!

Sorry, the image just won't go in straight, no matter what I do. So pretend the pinecones are on the top!
If you are looking for stuff for Valentine's day, run on over the Simonsaysstamp.com. They are putting out a kit (could be monthly, but for now, I just ordered Feb.) from Kristina Werner. And if you order the Feb. kit you also get the Winter Tim Holtz inks! Don't know how long that will last, but I got them! Its a beautiful kit also!! Hugs, Barb F