StampznewBright: Paper-Garden-Projects

On a very personal note: Well today (this week, the last couple of months....) have been interesting to say the least. After some testing & waiting in the last while..today, I heard the magical word benign! Thank You God! sniff sniff, sighhhhhhh. I'll spare you the details, but let me tell you, I did me the HAPPY dance!!! (Still doing it) :-D As you can imagine, I am ever so grateful & relieved.

Moving & Imminent Blog Vacation plans... We found out that we're moving unexpectedly for March, but it'll be more than nice to get away from the constant loud highway traffic & evil smog... BUT unfortunately, that means I'll have to schedule a short blog-vacation or two for packing (and moving) since we have WAY too much stuff. LOL.

Camera Jazz: Now, most critically for immediate blogginess, I think I fixed whatever was wrong with my camera (Canon G10). It wasn't working at all--no focus whatsoever & I only had the close shots of this card done, since it's been a week of work like crazy to catch up... Must've been a funny button I pushed. It's easy to hit funny buttons, then symbols from some lost alien civilization show up & I no speaky the language. I'm still not used to the settings--must make time to learn more and avoid future calamity...

Sorry, if that was all T.M.I. (too much information) for you, I just feel so close to y'all (I mean, with my blogmania, you're my life pretty much! heehee) and I had to shout it off rooftops (or burst!) Plus, I wanted to let you all know the blog vacation & camera scoop. All in all, Mr migraine still comes and goes as he chooses (the big ol' jerk!) ;o), but life is sooooooooh amazingly SWEET!

....And now to celebrate--with some bubbly, Baby!!!

(teeheehee)

Friends of ours just had their first baby: a healthy 9lb bouncin'
bundle of boy! (so I have babies on the brain.)

This cutie is a digital image from Squigglefly.
It's called Baby Bathing:

the artist is Eline Pelinkhoff.

When you buy the image, you get the image flipped both ways for you, --so that you can use either direction without any work on your part (or you could use both the mirror image & original at the same time! Imagine the cute reflection you could make with this and a watery floor!?!)

This lil' baby is heat embossed on metallic cardstock...

Squigglefly digital image Bathing Baby embossed on paper temptress quartz metallic cardstock

Heat Embossing a digital image
(on metallic cardstock):

Step 1) Gather embossing supplies (clear embossing powder, large tray, heat gun)

Step 2) Cut a half sheet of your semi non-porous paper (For this card, I used Quartz Stardream cardstock from Paper Temptress, but many metallic papers will work & I love using vellum cardstock too.)

The cutting is done to get it to print more quickly: so that it's still 8.5 inches wide but shorter for faster print time.) You can experiment with other paper types of course, but the stardream is a fave of mine for the sparkle.

Step 3) Print the image (I find standard printing setting the best--quick enough to keep the ink wet enough to hold the embossing powder, without sacrificing too much in the way of quality.

Step 4) Sprinkle clear embossing powder on right after printing & heat set it with a heat gun.

Step 5) Colour your image (I find Copic markers have the best staying power on more non-porous papers.)

You can also emboss digital images by painting
Matte Medium on any paper...
More about embossing with matte medium in this tutorial here.
&
some notes on matte medium embossing in this tutorial too

After embossing him, baby was embubbled ooops...
...I mean embellished! ;o)

Making the bubbles was super easy (don't pass out on me, but there was no sewing involved!) I just glued on nice shiny clear dew drops & some wee pearlized clear seed beads (you saw the bead thing coming from a mile away, hey?) I used Crystal Lacquer to stick them on, so any overflow of adhesive just looks like water.

Of course, I had to add some stitching. The gold seed beads were sewn on:

This next photo is sort of so-so, but I'd hoped it would show you the
tile texture & the shiny water:

The baby is all shiny too (so squeaky clean he sparkles!) ;o) ...since he's embossed on that metallic cardstock.

To make the shiny tiles
(and the rest of the bathroom decor):

Step 1) Punch some squares of patterned paper (This paper is from BasicGrey's Porcelain 6x6 pack fittingly enough.)

Step 2) Cut a Nestabilities label or a shape you like (this one is label 9 in white cardstock.)

Step 3) Adhere the squares onto the label shape (leaving a slight gap for tile grout.) :o) Trim off the ends of the squares that stick off the label. You could die cut it with the Nesties again, but I just used scissors...

Step 4) Stamp it with your favourite texture stamp (mine is this 2010 Vintage Calendar Stamp from Purple Onion Designs & I stamped it in pale turquoise to tie in the water colouring)

Step 5) Cover it in versamark, sprinkle with clear embossing powder & heat gun it.

Step 6) Add a floor (this one is made from more Porcelain paper coloured with a BG72 Ice Ocean Copic marker)

Step 7) Add baseboards (this one is a piece of the PT Quartz cardstock cut in a strip & scored with lines using a paper piercer & Tim Holtz ruler.

Thank You so much for taking time to visit,
& for sharing in my oh so fortunate news!

P.S. Click-able Blogger photos (to enlarge, if you like):

This was beyond fun to make!

This Mo image makes me believe in magic again.

The card tucks in the back pocket....

of this cloud box:

1...Digital stuff: Mo's Digital Pencil image & coordinating DIY text papers

2...how to make the layered & embossed digital image

3...making the round background sky (emboss resist on watercolour wash)

4...details of the finishing touches

5...cheap tricks for custom scallops

-1-

(the Mo's Digital Pencil Image)

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

I bought this sweet Mo image some time ago.

I love it's playfulness & their sweet faces! (Plus, it reminds me of

the Irish Rover's song which is an old family fave.)

Antique Dream patterned paper freebies

I used this homemade digital text paper to make a photoshop brush & paper-piece the sail (embossed it on Candido Incandescent paper from the printer)

This digital patterned paper is made from a scan of

an antique dictionary page (It's 12 x 8" but will print on smaller papers too)

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper PDF

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper PNG

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper JPG

The PDF might be a little big (long wait for a download) The PNG a little faster & the JPG the fastest; however, you lose quality every time you save a JPG file. Contrarily, a PNG is lossless, therefore higher quality.

To make your own patterned text paper,

(or using something else scanned):

A) Scan antique dictionary page (or fabric, photo, whatever....)

B) Crop the section I wanted (just the dream definitions)

C) Open with PhotoShop (or prefered software. Gimp is free here)

D) Create a new PhotoShop document (canvas size: 8.4" x 10.9")

E) Copy the text/image & paste it into that canvas repeatedly to fill the page

F) Save as a PDF and/or other file formats

Hopefully, this snippet gives you a better idea of the text:

dream dictionary definition d page crop copy

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper Snippet PDF

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper Snippet PNG

Download Antique Dictonary Dream paper Snippet JPG

-2-

...make the layered & embossed digital image:

(faux chipboard & fine cutting pointer)

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod image--from Mo's Digital Pencil...
Paper Temptress Candido Incandescent paper to emboss from the printer on
& P.T. Silver Metallic Glossy cardstock (the stars) & Pearl vellum (sentiment)
Clear embossing powder, & heat gun
Cover a Card Tapestry 1 from Paper Garden Projects
Watercolour crayons (neutrals) Black pigment ink & Niji waterbrush
Copic Markers, Tombow monomulti, & Scor-tape
Sakura Stardust glitter pen, White Souffle pen (gel), & Quickie glue
Paper piercer, needle, & thread, bugle beads
100 lb watercolour paper (for the cloud box & circle card base)
3/4 inch Circle punch (for scallop) & circle cutter; Hobby blade

Step 1) Print & Heat Emboss Mo's Wynken, Blynken, and Nod image (Just print on Candido Incandescent paper; then, sprinkle with clear embossing powder while the ink is still wet, and heat gun it.) I printed layers for dimension.

If you'd like to read more details about working with Mo's Digital images on this Incandescent paper please see this tutorial.

Step 2) To make sturdy chipboard-like layers out of your image (using just paper scraps): glue layer pieces onto more paper (as many scrap layers as you like) & cut again

Step 3) Colour net with Grey Copic marker (This is C3 Cool Gray No3)

Step 4) Cut out squares from the lower part of the net. (Fine cutting pointer: I painted the back of the image with a good layer of white acrylic paint for strength, since these net lines are super fine.) :o)

-3-

...make the round background sky:

(emboss resist on watercolour wash)

Step 1) Make a wash of Watercolour Crayons (or paint or ink) on watercolour paper.

Step 2) Cut watercolour paper wash background into a circle. Place image on the circle to show where you'd like to Fill in with grey marker (to make the circle of light around the moon.)

Step 3) Heat emboss a stamped pattern over the watercolour circle (in Versamark ink & clear embossing powder.) This big background stamp is the Cover a Card Tapestry 1 from Paper Garden Projects.

Step 4) Add a wash of black ink & water to create more contrasting resist effect with the embossed background stamp.

-4-

...the finishing touches:

A) Bead the edge, if you like (these are bugle beads stitched on after piercing around the circle with a paper piercer.)

B) Colour the image & adhere stars & swarovski crystals to the sky & fishing net

C) Make larger stars by adhering metallic star shapes to silver paper, cutting it out, & gluing on the crystals.

D) Hang one star from silver thread & sew on a button--it adds some movement :o) (This button is decorated with matching text paper.)

E) Add another matching button (on the bow wrapped around the box bottom.)

This sentiment is made with the free Beyond Wonderland font from dafont here.

Many thanks to Christopher Hansen for sharing it so freely!

To make the sentiment:

A) The mat: Print the cloud template, cut it & trace it onto watercolour paper

B) The sentiment shape: Print cloud template again (5% smaller)

C) Type the sentiment in a word document & Print it on Pearl Vellum paper

D) Quickly emboss the sentiment with clear embossing powder & a heat gun

E) Place the smaller cloud template over the sentiment, trace it, & cut it out

F) Stitch around the cloud shape & adhere to the bottom of the box

-5-

(for easier custom circle scallops)

I'm sure, you've seen all kinds of people make scallops from punched circles before, but I find it so affordable & adaptable that I thought I'd share a couple ways to make it easier & fancier...

These circles have that dream paper (linked up above) heat embossed on them--from the printer.

A) Print text onto the Paper Temptress Incandescent cardstock

B) Very quickly, sprinkle clear embossing powder over it & heat gun it

C) Punch out circles with a circle punch (I used a 3/4" one here)

D) Use a circle cutter to cut a circular window out of a sheet of scrap paper

E) Use the window cutter as a guide for making sure your circle punch scallops are even

Glue ideas for a quick (and cheap) scallop:

To keep the guide & the image from shifting, affix it with temporary adhesive.

To give yourself lots of play time (to move the circles around so they're even) consider using Tombow Monomulti. Squirt it on & let it dry for a more temporary hold. When you add the scalloped circle to your card more adhesive on the backs of the punched circle scallop will ensure a great hold. :o)

Clickable Blogger photos: