Tricks with Digital Images (Bookmark Card)

This bookmark card was made with one of the new digital images from Little Paper Shop for the latest challenge: "Got Digis?" To play along with us, simply to use a digital image on your card. You can read all about it here (& You can win a digital image of your choice too!)

I thought digital images were limited but nuh-uh!
You can do all sorts of things with Digital images
(some that might surprise you)...

1... Embossing 'em
2... Copic colouring
3...Paper piecing

Paper Piecing &
Embossing Digital Images:

Paper Piecing Digital Images:

These digital images have so many possibilities for layering. To paper piece this Katie Mushroom image, I just messed around a bit in photoshop & printed pieces of it, a super fast way to get layers.

The dress in printed on Basic Grey's Urban Prairie 6x6 paper.

Want to Emboss a Digital Image?

It's all about the cardstock. Generally, what I find works wonderfully: Vellum cardstock & metallics (any paper with a coating that allows the ink to remain wet for a little bit.) and the standard setting of your printer.

The cardstock I used here is my favourite cardstock for printing digis: it's called Poison Ivory from the Iridescent family (at Paper Temptress.) I lurve it because:

• It's recommended by Copic instructors (and colours amazingly)
• It lets you emboss (just have clear embossing powder ready when your page comes out of the printer, sprinkle & heat)
• And it's got shimmer!

You'll love how much Patricia has it on sale for too: 40% off!


Some tricks that might work for you:



You can cut your bottom layers shorter & colour them to make the layering neat & tidy. The embossing protects the printer ink from bleeding when you use copic markers (me likey!)

I also drew a little smile on Katie with a Copic Multiliner.

A Wee Magical Garden: ;o)



Step 1) Draw some stems & leaves with a white gel pen

Step 2) pierce along the stems



Step 3) Stitch along the stems (where you've peirced)



Step 4) Add little flowers of your choice.



I've pulled apart some Jolee's flower photo corners & coloured them with Copic markers.


Patterned Colour Stitching:



To create colour a stitching guide:

Step 1) Pierce where you'd like the stitching to be

Step 2) Choose your thread colours

Step 3) Pick markers that are a close match to your thread colours

Step 4) Colour the areas where you'd like the sewing to be
(You can also colour your pattern on the back of the cardstock, if you're worried about it showing.)

Step 5) Stitch away with no fear of sewing in the wrong spot and voila you have a pattern of coloured sewing...with a little more oomph than one colour.

Paper Scrap Quilted Bookmark:



You can use your paper scraps to make a quilted band of decorative paper (for any application: as a strip on a card or scrapbook page or a box or bag....) I've used it to make this bookmark...



The bookmark slides in behind the image on the card (since it's mounted with foam tape pieces so it creates a little area for the bookmark to sit.)

The sentiment on the bookmark says:

To read is to
cultivate the
magical gardens
of your mind

It's printed out onto Candido Incandescent cardstock; the card is made with this perty cardstock too. It has a golden shimmer to it that's pure magic (white with bling!) :O)

Hope this gave you some ideas &
that you join in with the Digi challenge!

Quick Links:

The digital images can be found here.
&
You can see sweet projects made with 'em here.

Read More

Pink is the Moo Black! (Purse set & PGP bday challenge prize)

Sorry for the wait---been missing you guys sorely, but I got some much needed rest. Thank you so much for your sweet patience. (I still get all teary-eyed when I think of your kindness!) :O)grin!

A little sumpin sumpin today ...a new purse template (not made by me, made by SU) but I just hadda make a version with no dotted lines for you to print if you like & a liner to go with it too.)

Farm animals & humour just go together don't they? Any excuse to be corny!

Well here's a humour challenge for ya (to celebrate Paper Garden Projects'--and Cathy's!--birthdays.) Just make a funny birthday card (or one in primary colours if you're not feelin' funny) & enter it to win all these goodies:


Click the pic to go see the details on Cathy's blog.

So my lil' addition to the silly birthday fun is this absolutely bovine little purse teehee
;O)
The sentiment reads: "Pink is the moo black" ynuk ynuk

The Supplies for this all come in the Farmyard Friends Kit:

(I know, holy cow! huh?) harhar

The Stamp Cow with a gift (by Pink Cat on ezmount & registered for perfect placement <--You know that's my FAVE, since it gives ya all the quality of Pink Cat's grey rubber but you can see the image through an acrylic block, so you have the fab function that acrylics give.

!!!EDITED TO ADD: Sorry my big baaaad: in order to save you money--with the economic troubles of late--Cathy has included the EZ mount with the stamps for you to register 'em. If anyone would like a tutorial on that, please don't hesitate to ask. It's really easy.

Bazzill Piglet textured cardstock (pink)
Petticoat Urban Prairie designer paper
Wedding White cardstock
May Arts Black Swiss Dot Ribbon
Black Sheer Button
Black Basic Grey brads (large & small)
Paper Flowers

Optional Extras:

If you're like me and you can't get enough of cheap tricks--like alterable embellishments--then you may wanna grab some extra Sheer Dotted Swiss Black May Arts Ribbon & White paper flowers. You can colour them both to customize like crazy! I use a blend of Copic markers and regular markers/inks (for the flowers) & if you have no Copics you can use alcohol inks (for the ribbon dots.)

Staples from Your Stash:
black ink & colouring stuffs ( I used watercolour pencil crayons)
black thread
a black marker

Download the Purse Template here.

How-To:

Making the 3x3 Note Card:

Step 1) Stamp the cow from Farm Friends kit on Wedding White cardstock. Colour however you like (me likey watercolour pencil crayons with Copic markers in the same tones to deepen the shadows of the colours)

Step 2) Fold, Embellish & Assemble the notecard:

1. Cut & fold 6x3 cardstock.
2. Draw stitches on mat for card.
3. Make a bow & assemble.
4. Add a coloured white paper flower & brad

Making the Purse:

Step 1) Print Cut & Score purse box template & cut strip for handle.

Step 2) Print & cut 2 liners for the purse flap (inside & outside ones) Adhere one on the inside

Step 3) Trim the liner if needed

Step 4) Draw stitches on the liners, if you like ( I like doing this after since the trimming the liner can really change where the stitching needs to be.)

Step 5) Adhere the ribbon to handle (little adhesive at either end) & trim it

Step 6) Tie a ribbon & sew or glue on the pink clear button



Step 7) If you want the bow to be extra secure, sew it on the outside liner & adhere it to the purse



Step 8) Colour the flowers with a marker. Copics are wonderful for this



Step 9) Adhere the handbag handle



Step 10) Pierce through the purse box & handle to secure well



Step 11) Add brads & paper flowers

Happy Craftiness to You!

Quick Links:

FarmYard Friends Stamp Kit
Cathy's Blog (She has an awesome Nesties masking tutorial on there)
Tracy's blog (Her entry for this challenge is ultra cuteness)

Read More

Three Little Piggies on a Lined Envelope (& Template)

I just cannot thank you all enough for your sweet kindnesses. Pretty please don't anyone worry about me. It will clear up, I promise.

Blush weep smile blush smile weep smile smile<---that was me reading your amazingly touching messages. WOW. I knew you were wonderful before, but you blew me away yesterday. You are the dearest most thoughtful blog buddies in the whole wide web. Thank You with the whole of my heart!

Here's a speedy little project for ya:

These three little pigs (and their chicks) went to market to prepare for a party heehee. The paper that comes in the Farmyard Friends Kit is perfect for lining envelopes & making them more festive. This one is done with a template (below) that fits Stampin' Up! envelopes (5 1/2" square ones.)

Don't have SU envelopes? You can adapt this general process to any envelope, of course. Just trace the flap of your envelope to make your own template. If you'd like to print or publish your template, you can scan it. :O)

Download the PDF template here,

or click the pic for the JPG version:

Supplies: Pink Cat Piggy stamp & Basic Grey Weather Vane cardstock. from the Farmyard Friends Kit

other:

• Cardstock (for liner template)
• Black marker (for distressing)
• Stampin Up envelope (5.5" square)

Step 1) Print the envelope template onto cardstock & cut it out. The template is for Stampin' Up's 5 1/2 inch square envelopes.



Step 2) You can use the paper that you cut off from around the cardstock template to place over your patterned paper as frame or guide to help you choose which section to use. (I used the Basic Grey Weather Vane cardstock.



Step 3) place liner template where you like & trace it



Step 4) Cut the liner out



Step 5) Edge the patterned paper with a black marker for definition, (if you like)



Step 6) Adhere it (Tombow Monomulti ROCKs for this (applied thinly) let it dry & stick on then it's repositionable



Step 7) Cut a cardstock liner to protect the envelope front (approximately 5 2/8 inches wide.) Stamp & colour some images on the back. I used Copic markers:



Step 8) You can turn the liner into a handy address writing guide. The Tim Holtz Design ruler is a speedy way to add lines wherever you like. I added them in 1/2 inch increments by drawing on a pencil grid and then darkening with a Copic Multiliner. To use it, slide it in the envelope (lines facing front) and write with it as your guide.

a LOT more envelopes & links here:

The matching card for this envelope is here:

Happy Stamping You Fabulous people You! :O)

P.S. I know You won't wanna miss out on this
fun & free stuff:

Cathy is having a birthday blog bash all this month (and giving away all sorts of gorgeous challenge prizes!) You can read all about the easy-peasy challenges & prizes (and get inspired) here on her blog. I can't wait to join in the challenges. :O)

and Tracy is joining in making more magic on her blog here.

Read More

A wee personal note...(aka confession) ;O)

Hi Ladies n Gents,

In the spirit of keepin' it real (and hopefully not just whinging) ;O)

A personal word (or 2/3) ;O) to those of you who are kind enough to check in here regularly. My posts will be a little more sporadic (in time of day) and I'll occasionally be taking a day or two off (perhaps without advanced notice, sorry.)

I've really been struggling to maintain templates & tutorial etc... I haven't said anything, because I've felt like saying so was being ungrateful for your kind visits here & for all of the opportunities that I'm so lucky to have. (I also feel like a broken record...and am such a perfectionist, that I'm embarassed to admit I can't do it all and then some... LOL.)

Anywho, long & short of it is that I'm still very sick. My lung infection hasn't cleared and my energy levels are really low. I'm trying to strike a balance in caring for our home (and cooking regularly so we eat healthier & detox.)

I am so very blessed, personally; Charles is amazingly supportive. (He's the only reason it's possible for me to blog so much instead of working a paying full-time job--which our finances sorely require LOL...but I hope to start a small business venture soon. ) Blogging involves a lot of sacrifice for him, so I want to be sure to make our home more comfortable & work more on our health.

I know you'll understand a day or two off without this preamble, but I just wanted to explain. This blog is so much a part of my life and my connections with you all are so meaningful that I wanted to keep it "real."

Awards & Emails:

I've hesitated to announce this because I feel bad about it, but here it is...

If you have been generous & thoughtful enough to give me an award, I thank you so very much. I'm honoured but I can't keep up with posting them, and so in fearing that I might leave someone out, I've decided to just have a policy of "I love ya for it, I'm grateful, & I appreciate it, but I can't post it." If that sucks, I appologize. It's been a real source of guilt for me (which I know I create all by my-own-self for my-own-self)... so I'm trying to narrow that feeling down in my life.

If you've sent me an email that hasn't received an answer, please consider sending it again. I sometimes lose them in the structure of my gmail account (and with not being able to keep up...)

If any of you have advice on how to balance this all (blogging, emails, tutorials, templates, blurfing, cooking tips, or where to acquire a spare set of arms... whatever... LOL) I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks so much for listening to me,

Read More

Cloud Box (how to & template)

Nope, you're not mistaken; you've seen this before.
The details on the image, cloud texture, etc. are here:



:O) Today's a catch up kind of day: templates (and how-to make the box assemble the card.) In case anyone was curious...

Downloaded PDF cloud templates here
(with a mirrored version)

This template is for cloud shapes (no duh huh? heehee.) You can use 'em however you like, of course; I've used them with this angelic Little Paper Shop stamp set:

"Heaven Sent"

I love that she's so bootylicious. LOL. (How do you spell that?) Great to have images in the greater media that reflect more realistic female proportions. I think it really really matters. Okay ... off my soap box & onto how to make this card box.

It measures 3 and 1/2 by 4 and 1/2 inches
(easily made with one standard sheet of cardstock
that's cut to 8 by 10 inches)

(If I don't make any sense, just lemme know.) ;O)

Assembling a Cloud Swing Card:



Step 1) Decide where you want your angel & pierce a hole for the brad that will make the card swing. (I used Cloud shape #2 for the front piece)



Step 2) Mark large cloud through pierced hole [I used the Large cloud shape #1 for the card front (that it swings open to]



Step 3) Pierce through cloud card front (where you marked)



Step 4) Put brad through 2 card cloud fronts. (It's so cool how that makes a swing card. Whoever thunk that up was a genius!)



Step 5) Put dimensionals/foam tape on the angel & sit her over brad on card front



Step 6) Adhere the cloud card to front & to back of box (FRONT: Whole swing card; BACK: shape #3) Then it swings open...

(For the other deets (making the clouds & angel) click here)

Thank you so much for visiting me.
You make my day!

P.S. You can see lots of pretty things made
with that angel in the LPS gallery here.

Read More