Glitter and packing tape

Want to add some sparkle to your paper arts?  Try using detailed dies to make shiny additions to your cards or layouts.

You will need a detailed metal die, die cut machine, glitter, a piece of cardstock and clear packing tape.

You will need a detailed metal die, die cut machine, glitter, a piece of cardstock and clear packing tape.

You will need a detailed metal die, die cut machine, glitter, a piece of cardstock and clear packing tape.

Using the die and die cutting machine, cut your image out of the middle of the card stock. Keep all the pieces (even the tiny ones from the "e" and "a").

Using the die and die cutting machine, cut your image out of the middle of the card stock. Keep all the pieces (even the tiny ones from the "e" and "a").

Using the die and die cutting machine, cut your image out of the middle of the card stock. Keep all the pieces (even the tiny ones from the "e" and "a").

Turn your cardstock upside down and place a piece of packing tape across your image.

Turn your cardstock upside down and place a piece of packing tape across your image.

Turn your cardstock upside down and place a piece of packing tape across your image.

Turn the cardstock right side up and carefully place the small pieces from the "e" and "a" in the appropriate places. The packing tape with hold it in place.

Turn the cardstock right side up and carefully place the small pieces from the "e" and "a" in the appropriate places. The packing tape with hold it in place.

Turn the cardstock right side up and carefully place the small pieces from the "e" and "a" in the appropriate places. The packing tape with hold it in place.

Turn the cardstock right side up and carefully place the small pieces from the "e" and "a" in the appropriate places. The packing tape with hold it in place.

With the sticky side of the packing tape exposed, pour your glitter over the image.

With the sticky side of the packing tape exposed, pour your glitter over the image.

With the sticky side of the packing tape exposed, pour your glitter over the image.

Rub the glitter over the image with your finger.

Rub the glitter over the image with your finger.

Rub the glitter over the image with your finger. 

Brush off the excess glitter and you will have a glittery image ready for your paper art!

Brush off the excess glitter and you will have a glittery image ready for your paper art!

Brush off the excess glitter and you will have a glittery image ready for your paper art!

Subway art

I got a book on mixed media and had to try this out.  Glue chip board letters on a board cover with foil.  Then paint read and yellow.  Let dry.  Paint whole thing black, rub off the black paint on the letters.

Kind of fun and funky.  Don't you think?

My Hero

For my friend, Michelle's last birthday I made her this...

THE ABC's of Sami

As a mom, I feel that I am always learning ways to improve.  I recently was certified as a Nurtured Heart Approach trainer.  The basic stands are:

1.  Absolute clarity,
2. Absolute NO to energizing the negative and
3. Absolute YES to energizing the positive.

I am pretty good at the first two but really am not good at pointing out what is going right.

In another class, I was asked to create a praise certificate for my daughter.  So I took the time to increase my vocabulary with positive traits that fit my daughter.  Here is what I came up with.

I love it and I love that she knows why I believe each of those traits fit her.

Sunflowers during my morning walk.

Check out the photos i took the other day on my morning walk on day in late August.  Watching the sunflowers grow taller and taller throughout the summer is one of my favorite things.

Mini Art Collage

 If you have been crafting for as long as me, you will have accumulated a lot of little pieces of art that were never used.  I gathered up a bunch and made this mini art collage piece.  I just love it.  Sorry for the yellow lighting.

Art Journaling Again

Last month I took another art journaling class from Regina at the Hen House.  I really love learning all her techniques for backgrounds, collage, and paper piecing

She loves using things that others would throw away.  Can you tell what the 12 circle frame used to be?

More Inktense!

Here are some cards I  made with my Inktense pencils.  Super easy and fun!

Inka Gold is my new favorite!!

If you were at the Hen House today, you got to make this FREE make-n-take that I designed.  It highlights Viva Inka Gold metallic rubs and Ferro Paste.  Super rich and fun to use.

Supplies:

• ·       Craft cardstock (5 ½ x 8 ½ )
• ·       Authentique Strong “Clever” paper (2 x 5 ¼ )
• ·       Cardboard box piece (4 x 4)
• ·       Scrap piece of cardstock (4 x 4 )
• ·       Lifestyle Crafts Nesting Scallop Squares
• ·       Memory Box/Poppy Stamps die “Gentle Leaf”
• ·       Viva Inka Gold Metallic Rub (lava red and copper)
• ·       Viva Ferro Special Effect Paste (Graphite)
• ·       Crop-a-dile
• ·       Big Shot
• ·       10 inch piece of black wired twine
• ·       Penny Black “2912D Happy Birthday” stamp
• ·       Distress Ink Pad (black soot and dried marigold)
• ·       Versafine Ink Pad (onyx black)

1.     Using the 3 ½” scallop square metal die, cut the cardboard box piece.  Peel away some of the cardboard to reveal the texture below.

2.     Using your fingers or sponge, rub the copper Inka Gold all over the cardboard piece. 

3.     Rub the lava red Inka gold over the revealed textured pieces of the cardboard die cut. 

4.     Sponge the edges of the cardboard with the black soot ink. 

5.     Buff the Inka goldwith a paper towel to get a shine.

6.     Using the crop-a-dile punch a hole in the top and bottom left hand corners.

7.     Die cut the leaf from the 4 x 4 scrap of cardstock.  This becomes your template.  Lay the 4x4 piece with the leaf cut out on top of the cardboard piece.  Use a plastic knife to place a nickel size dollop of the Ferro Past on top of the leaf image.  Use a palette knife or scraper to rub the paste into the leaf image.  Be sure to keep your template in place. When you have the leaf image filled with ferro paste, carefully lift your template. Set aside to dry.

8.     Sponge the edges of the Authentique paper piece with black soot ink.  Sponge some dried marigold ink in the middle of the same piece.  Adhere to the left side of the card front.

9.     With the black Versafine ink, stamp “happy birthday” on the bottom right side of the card. 

10. When your ferro paste is dry, run the black twine through the holes you punch in the decorated cardboard box piece and tie a bow.  Glue the completed piece to the front of the card.

For Christmas, Sandy gave me a set of Inktense Pencils.  They are amazingly intense. Sandy recently taught a class at the Hen House on how to use these pencils.  Below are the two cards that we made.  Look how bright thee pencils are on craft paper!

And of course they look amazing on white paper too!

Check out the amazing cards I made in Cheryl Valadez's class.  She is so talented and daring with paper layering and embellishments.  I am going to put these two in a shadow box for my mom.  I think it will be great for her sewing room!

Ready for August Card swap

I cased this card from Pinterest.  I didn't have the same stamp so I improvised and used a Tim Holtz stamp and bird metal die from Memory Box.

Christmas in July

For swap club this month, the theme was Christmas in July.  I used some Paper Smooches stamps and a new SU punch to create the cards below.  I couldn't decide on which embossing background that I like the most.  Which do you like?

Zumba chick

My friend Sandy made me a card for my birthday using Saturated Canary's Zumba Chick.  I trimmed the image from the card and made the shadow box below.  I have it in my office so that I can enjoy it everyday!

Pan Pastels

I took a class at the Hen House last Saturday from guest artist, Amy Flowers.  We played with the Gelli Plate and PanPastels.  What a blast!

Bloom!

I was inspired by some pins on Pinterest to create the following:

I hand cut the petals from scrapbook paper.  Super easy and fun!

June Swap card -- Fun fold

For the June Swap club I redesigned a card that I saw at my friend Mary's house.  It is such a cute fold and easy to make.

Here it is closed and lying flat on the table.

 Here it is closed standing on the table.  See how the left side of the card swings open around the "Thanks".

Here it is almost all the way open.

And this last photo is the card all the way open.

To make a card like this, you need to take an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of card stock and cut it lengthwise at 4 1/4".  Next you score it at 2 1/2 " and 7".  You cut out your sentiment piece by carefully centering your die or punch on the middle of the 2 1/2" score line.  Make a small slit near the bottom of the 7" score line to feed your ribbon through. Add paper and sentiments and bling and you are done!

Tim Holtz Distress Paint

For my June technique card at the Hen House, I am demonstrating Tim Holtz's new distress paints.  They are absolutely yummy.  They have wonderful properties...easy to mix, permanent, and opaque.  I also used two dies from Memory Box.

Here's another color combo.

Bloom

I was inspired by a couple of  Pinterest posts to create the following:

I hand cut all the petals from scrapbook paper, distressed the edges and Mod Podged them in the shape of a flower.  Super easy and super fun!