Elegant Mums Just Perfect for Mother's Day

Hello Junkies!
Karen McAlpine with you today and I have been having a busy week working in the yard and crocheting more baby gifts.  Of course, I still made time to make a few cards for the ladies.  Today's cards were made with a stamp from the April New Release collection by Technique Junkies. This stamp is perfect for Mother's Day cards.  Take a look

Materials List:

Stamps: Elegant Mums and Classy and Fabulous Sentiment from Technique Junkies

Ink: Victorian Velvet, Spun Sugar, and Fired Brick Distress inks

CS: pink

Paper: Mixed Media pad from Strathmore

Sprial Punch

Label Punch

Ribbon

Lace

Pearl trim

Make It:

• Punch the top edge of the pink CS with the spiral punch
• Distress the pink CS with Spun Sugar and Fired Brick ink
• Tear a sheet of the mixed media paper torn from the pad-keeping the spiral edge in tacked
• Ink Elegant Mum with Victorian Velvet ink and stamp on a sheet of the mixed media paper torn for the pad--don't cut off the spiral edge

Note: don't clean your stamp!  The Distress ink is very wet!  So, I stamped a second image--you will see it on the second card later in this post.

•  Add Spun Sugar ink to the stamped image using the direct to paper method ( no tool needed-just gently sweep the pad across the paper)
• To the centers of the flowers, add Fired Brick ink with a stencil brush
• Heavily distress the edges and add to the pink CS base
• Stamp the Sentiment, punch, and distress 
• Punch a second label from pink CS
• Layer both labels over a piece of  lace, gathered ribbon and some pearl trim

***Perfect for a Mother's Day Card!!  Just stamp a sentiment on the inside and you are good to go.  That is what I will be doing with both cards!!


Second Card:

This is the second stamp impression I made without reinking the stamp. I stamped on a soft cream CS and added a layer of white.  The card base is lavender CS

I layered some pretty fibers onto the card --a ruffled ribbon, burlap rick rack, and white tulle.  Another perfect card for Mother's Day!!

So glad you stopped by today.  **Sunday is the May New Release blog hop!!  What happened to April, right?  The months are just flying by!  I hope you have a super day and that you find time to create a little something for someone special. 

See you again soon!

Karen McAlpine

Dreaming and Creating

Tip Toe Through The Tulips

Hello Junkies!

Kathy, The Crafty Nurse here today with a quick card using "Tulips #S662" from the Technique Junkies March release.  The background was created using the "Background Whimsy - Copic Method" from the Bodacious Background CD.  Instead of outlining the image completely with the white gel pen, I did a more freehand approach giving it more of an artistic feel, which I think works with this gorgeous stamp.  My sentiment is Kindness Matters SDX026".

As we are coming to the end of April, I can't wait for you to see the May release stamps.  Be sure to stop by the May Blog Hop on Sunday, May 1st.

See you then!
The Crafty Nurse

How to Color on Kraft Paper

 Hello, Beth Norman here today with a long tutorial on how to color a flower onto Kraft paper.  I used one of my favourite stamps, Flourished Floral.  In this tutorial you will see that I use Prismacolor pencil crayons and odorless mineral spirits (OMS).  If you don't have Prismacolor pencil crayons OMS will not work, but don't worry, just color away.

Supplies:  Prismacolor pencil crayons, white Prismacolor pencil crayon, odorless mineral spirits, paper stumps, Kraft paper, stamp, black ink (not in photo)

Stamp out your image onto Kraft card stock and let dry for about 15 minutes

Color your entire image with white pencil crayon

 

Color your flower with your first color

Using your blending stump with OMS (dip your paper stump into the OMS) spread around your color until a smooth finish is achieved.

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Take your darkest, of three colors and add color on the top edge of every petal

As previously done, take your paper stump and OMS and blend out the darkest color, drawing it downwards towards the tip of your petal

With your third color (I chose a bright pink) do the same as in previous steps but this time color close to the petals so you have just a fine line when you pull out your color.  Next, color the rest of your stamped image

Take a darker green to color along the flower petals and using your blending stump and OMS, pull out your color

I like to leave white space in all of my colored work because it adds a feel of dimension.  On Flourished Floral, I chose to do this on the smallest pieces of flower.  When an area is as tiny as this simply draw a line along the bottom of the area you are coloring, or else you will not have any white space

Take your blending stump dipped in OMS and simply draw along the colored pencil line without drawing it upwards

Finish your card as desired

Feeling Crabby?

Hello Inky Friends!

I hope this project won't leave you feeling crabby but ready for some beachy fun! (and maybe hungry?) LOL

For this project I used one of the April New Release's called Crabby. I'll admit that when I began playing, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to come up with- card, art or otherwise. I knew I wanted to try a beach with the Art Anthologly Paints, Sprays & Texture.

I also used some Tattered Angels products as well.

I began by spraying out some some of the inks and manipulating the beach colors a little heavier in some areas.

I then took a darker color and a toothbrush to splatter some specs of sand.

 I sprayed some pink onto white and heat embossed the crab with a cranberry colored powder.

I didn't get a WIP photo of the smear of A.A. Paint I added in for the water but here's a close up of it. I applied a Fiber Paste with a palette knife for the clouds to add dimension.

Close up of crab and an extra sand mound I popped up.

Close up of the word DREAM using the Soliloquy Stencil

So there's the final piece! I think the crab is dreaming that it won't wind up on someone's dinner plate! HAHA!

Hope this inspired you to create some seasonal pieces of art for your home or possibly as a gift and not just for cards!!

Until next time...

Happy Creating!!

-oxox-
Tonya :)

Bullseye Bloom Card

Hello!  And, a Happy Wednesday to you!

This week in Southern California, 

we skipped right over spring and jumped right into the heat of summer!

I thought I'd make a card to get that spring feeling back.

I made this card by stamping S655 Bullseye Bloom with a VersaMark stamp pad.

TS-VM VersaMark Stamp Pad

I colored the S655 Bullseye Bloom stamp with a sponge applicator and chalks.

 I used SD413 Find Our Way for the sentiment focal point.

What are your go-to Technique Junkie stamps that bring back that spring feeling?

Until next time...

Let's Travel

Good morning Junkies!  I have a couple of travel ATCs to share today, created with the wonderful Vintage Travel Cases stamp set.

For this first ATC, I sprayed the background with Art Anthology Sandcastle & Salmon Colorations and then sprayed Rustic Colorations through the Art Anthology Blocked Stencil.  I stamped the couple from the Vintage Travel Cases stamps set and painted them with Art Anthology Ferrari Sorbet, Shamrock Velvet, and Portobello Velvet before fussing cutting them out.  The suitcases they are carrying were painted with Art Anthology Chocolate and Black Leather Jacket Sorbet and Prima Metallique Silver Spoon.  I printed out Bon Voyage on my printer, brushed a light wash of Salmon Colorations over the words, then cut out and added to my ATC, outlining with a black pen.

For this one, I sprayed the card with Art Anthology Ink Spot Colorations, blotting before it dried to lighten the color.  I then stamped the medium case from Vintage Travel Cases directly onto the card with Memories Gingerbread Ink.  I stamped the sentiment from the same stamp set at the top in Gingerbread Ink and then added wood veneer from Studio Calico.  To keep the edges from being so plain, I added dashes with a black pen.

I hope you enjoyed today's blog post.  Stop by tomorrow to see more wonderful projects from our design team.

Until later.................

Marilyn

There is Always Hope!

I enjoy vintage images to color.   I enjoy looking at vintage items in various places. This young lady appears to be so very contemplative.  But I wonder why. Is she humming a tune?   Is she thinking about what's for supper? Is she wondering how she will tell her Dad or Mom  about a problem?  Is she watching the fish in a stream just below?

These Technique Junkie stamps were used:
Hillside Girl - http://techniquejunkies.com/hillside-girl/
Always Hope - http://techniquejunkies.com/always-hope/
Dragonfly Collage - http://techniquejunkies.com/dragonfly-collage/ - An April Release!

I chose this verse to go with the young lady's contemplative mood.I used Copic markers to color her and tree in -- and sponged in the sky.

The Dragonfly Collage stamp was used as the background -- and I used Art Anthology Colorations spray to add the color.  You know when a stamp is a great one to have when you can use it in somany variations -- and that is true of this stamp!  So versatile and wonderful!

Have a wonderful day -- and get inky!

Gettin' All Jazzy with Technique Junkies

Hello Junkies!
Karen McAlpine with you today getting all Jazzy with the Junkies. Check out the awesome Sax player from Technique Junkies.  I love this background too.  I thought it looks so art deco. Just perfect for the 1930's style Jazz musician.  The images were stamped on velum for a stained glass kind of feel. Both images are from the April New Releases from Technique Junkies.

Materials List:

Stamps: Saxophonist, Mosaic Scallops, and You Are Amazing Sentiment all from Technique Junkies

Ink: Black Stazon

CS: Bright green

Velum: clear and green

Yarn

Silver Dots

Make it:

• Make a card from green CS
• On green velum, stamp the Mosaics Scallop Background with black ink
• Glue to the card base
• On clear velum, stamp the Saxophonist with black ink
• Add to the card
• Add the silver dots

• Stamp the sentiment with black ink on green CS and add to card
• Tie yarn in a bow and glue to card

I particularly like the Sax player as my husband is a jazz musician.  Although he does play the trumpet.  Because I stamped on green velum, I did not have to do any coloring on the background to get the stained glass look. How easy is that!!??

Thanks for stopping by!!  See you again soon.

Karen McAlpine
Dreaming and Creating

Live, Love, Laugh

Hey Junkies!

The Crafty Nurse here sharing more inky goodness with the newly released Stylized Rose image from Technique Junkies April release.  This is a fabulous stamp and perfect for so many occasions. I paired it with the "Live, Love, Laugh Frame SD662" which as you can see fits perfectly with the stylized rose stamp.

The background was created using Copic Various inks blown around with a straw over glossy card stock.  To color the roses, I directly applied Tombow markers to the stamp and spritzed with water for a watercolor look.

I hope you've all had a chance to visit the Technique Junkies store to check at the April release.  See you in a few weeks with more inky goodness.

The Crafty Nurse

Joseph's Coat Tutorial

Hi there, it's Beth Norman here with an old technique.  So old, Pat filmed this technique in her very first issue of the Technique Junkie Newsletter way back in December 2002.  How proud she must have been publishing her first issue, and now she owns her very own stamp company.  Congratulations Pat!

So, you probably guessed by the title that this is called Joseph's Coat.  I used a background stamp, but a combination of smaller stamps will work with this technique as well.  In the directions, below, you will find a link to my "How to Use a Brayer" tutorial.

You will be seeing me film new, and previously published techniques to keep your juices flowing.  For me, there's no better feeling than shooting a tutorial.

For this tutorial I used two stamps that go so well together:  Swans, from the April release, and Find Our Way. 

Supplies: Rainbow ink pad (ie. Kaleidacolor), black stamp pad (not in photo), VersaMark, clear embossing powder, heat gun, antistatic bag, white glossy paper, brayer, stamp(s)

Using your brayer (you can find my "How to Use a Brayer" on my blog here) add color to your glossy card stock using your Kaleidacolor, or similar, ink pad.  Let your ink dry completely before next step.

Using your antistatic bag, rub over the entire surface of your inked card stock

Ink up your stamp with VersaMark and stamp out image onto glossy card stock

Cover entire card stock with clear embossing powder

Heat set the embossing powder

Using your brayer, cover the entire surface with your black ink.

Take a tissue and lightly rub over the embossed surface to take off any black residue

Finish your piece as desired

I hope I enticed you to break out your brayer and try this technique.  Have fun!