Friday, August 29, 2014

TWO PAPER DIVAS Design Team card - Fall is in the Air - Week of August 25, 2014



Is it really almost Pumpkin Time .........we have had such a beautiful Summer here in Pagosa Springs!!!  I kept looking at my Pumpkin Cookbook sitting on our Baker's Rack in the solarium in the Kitchen.  So that was all it took when I was chasing down the idea for this week's card.  I love doing "masking" and decided that I needed two pumpkins on this card.  So after that with the "glitter pen" in hand,  I began to glitter a few things on the card.  Then I pulled out a piece of glossy paper and used some of my Alcohol Inks to bring in some color BUT instead of using the glossy side, guess what .......I liked the back side and stamped (using my Peeled Paint Distress Ink) one of the leave's (twice) from TWO PAPER DIVAS "Fall is in the Air" set.  Oh Dear....I just looked and that set is SOLD OUT.  I sure hope you have this darling set!!!!  I cut the two leaves out and used Crackle Accents on the face of the leaves.  A different look than Glossy Accents.  I also used another leaf from the set as doilies under the pumpkins.  The orange pumpkin was pieced over the stamped one on the yellow card stock.  Love this darling birdie and he had to have a spot as well.  DONE!!

Tootles to all of you and enjoy your card making for Fall.  I am sure that I will be back with more before we get to the rest of the Holidays!!!

Thursday, August 21, 2014

TWO PAPER DIVAS Design Team Card for Week of August 18, 2014 (Bokeh Technique)



This card is an attempt at doing what is called the "Bokeh" technique!!  I have watched a number of people out there in our crafting space do this kind of card and have wanted to try it.  First of all the word Bokeh is known in the photography world as a "filtering" concept.  Using Watercolor paper to start is a must.   I used painters tape and doing a border that you can see by taping it to a piece of stiff cardboard.  I then brushed on water (a lot) to get the piece pretty wet so the color would move as I painted each one that you see.  In the CASE above, I used a metallic watercolor paint (love this stuff - such a shine) and I painted one row at a time and took the second color and placed it right next to the first and so on.  As you are doing it, if more water is necessary, go ahead and put more water on the paper.  Using the brush, I also added water to the "disc" of paint.  Using a paper towel, I dabbed around any areas that were puddling with water and paint.  I also dabbed the whole surface.  Then I removed the painter's tape.  Using my heat gun, I helped dry the piece of paper.

Once I finished this process, I began the "Bokeh" technique ...... I gathered two different size circle templates and sponged on with a large sponge dauber white pigment ink in several different places.   It really makes a fun diffused look on the card.  Then I laid down a random dot stencil by Simon Says and using a white gel pen, I enjoyed adding dots of different sizes on the card.  After choosing the two stamps I wanted to use from TWO PAPER DIVAS (two different sets), I stamped them using Memento Black Ink.  It is fun to see the color which comes through the stamped image.

The rest of the card is pretty straight forward.  Now this week I will teach the Bokeh to my students and enjoy seeing what other attempts I will do in the future.  Cute technique!!  Thanks to Julie Ebersole for putting this on her Blog and showing the concept.  See ya next time!!! 

Thursday, August 14, 2014

TWO PAPER DIVAS Design Team Card for the week of August 11, 2014 - "Simply The Best"


It is so interesting that Melissa and Gayla, owners of Two Paper Divas, created this Sentiment.  Back in the 90's when my husband and I worked for The LaQuinta Corporation as General Managers (a second career for each of us),  we helped our Regional Manager develop a training program for the other Managers and their Staff.  In order to have fun with this, I came up with the idea of creating it around Tina Turner's song "Simply the Best".  It turned out to be very special and some of the other Regional Managers asked us to show it to them and they used this concept to assist their managers/staff in their regions.  It help "pump up" all of the Staff at the Inns that we trained.  Great SONG!!  Wish that we had a video of it but it is in our memories!!

I was reminded of something today while watching a video on the computer on Gina K Designs.  It was using a die with the rubber mat to create the embossing effect without cutting.  Have not done that in a long time.  So what you see as the outline around the scene is not a layered piece which I have cut and applied to the face of the card.  It is actually the embossed part of the front of the card.  I used a die cut of this die as a mask and did the background green shading.  Once this was done, I stamped the Sentiment and placed the die cut leaves (which I cut apart) onto the card.  The flowers are popped up (just the actual flowers - not the stems) and then I stamped the Butterfly.  I chose not to color the Butterfly to leave the simplicity of the outline to coordinate with the Sentiment.  Sometimes it is not necessary to do the obvious coloring of outline stamps on our card.  Step back and you might just say, "enough is enough"!  See you next posting........

P. S.  This is an ADD ON after reading this again today (8/25/14) and Melissa and Gayla posting my card.  I decided that I would give you the Big Shot formula for building your "sandwich" to produce the concept which is used on this card.  Embossing with a Die:  

  • No Tabs on the platform
  • Acrylic Plate
  • Piece of Card stock for a SHIM
  • Rubber Embossing Pad (1) by Spellbinders
  • "Die" of choice - normally placed on the non cutting side against the rubber to achieve the embossed look - I decided on the pointed look (sharp edge) so I put the die cut side down on the rubber
  • Acrylic Plate
  • Piece of copy paper
By the way, I keep a sticky note of this "sandwich" in the original plastic which holds my rubber embossing pads.  I do not know about you but my memory would not remember all of these strange concepts of doing the right "sandwich"!!  Just a hint!!!


Products used on this card:

STAMPS:   Two Paper Divas Stamp Sets:  Simply the Best;  Mason Jar Accessories 1;  Seed Packet Accessories #1.

INK:  Memento Tuxedo Black;  Pear Pizzazz by SU; and Copic Markers.

MISC.:  Wink of Stella Clear Glitter Brush;  Rhinestones; Enamel Dot;  the leafy die; & the largest die in that set to do the embossed effect.

 

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

TWO PAPER DIVAS Design Team Card for the week of August 4, 2014 - "Life's a Picnic"


It is August and TWO PAPER DIVAS is announcing their NEW stamp sets.  I have used two sets from them for this card.  When "my" surprise sets came and I saw the Picnic Bench AND the Picnic Basket from the second set.......I knew what paper I was going to use for these two stamps.  Anytime that I can, I will pull from my stash the thin wood veneer sheets because it gives an authenticity to the stamp representing a wooden finish.  Also with the picnic basket were 7 different stamps that were all about Summertime FUN at a picnic (Hamburger - which you see here; Glass of Lemonade - also what I used on the card; THE ANT - a little out of proportion in my scene but way too cute; a pie; the basket and two Sentiments - one of which I used on my card).  I could not help going to my "stash" again of my wooden "things" and pulled out the wooden apples (wish that I had the smaller apples but they have been used on previous cards - having Granddaughters in school, I used them on cards for their teachers - Oh Well - these get the point across) and colored them with Copics & also I love the wooden word bubbles and it just seemed appropriate to stamp the Sentiment on it.

SUPPLIES USED:

All Stamps - TWO PAPER DIVAS  - Brand New Sets being announced on August 8th.
Paper -  Mixed Media 101 Ultra Thin Cherry Sheets; Neenah Solar White card stock - card base;  Sheet    of 12 x 12 printed paper for Scrapbooking; Checkered card stock - source unknown.
Ink - Ranger Distress Ink - Vintage Photo to ink the bench & basket; Hero Arts Shadow Ink - Soft Granite to ink the glass of lemonade & the hamburger - black is too dark;  Memento Tuxedo Black for the               Sentiment and the ants;  I also used the Vintage Photo to distress some of the edges.
Embellishments  -  Love, Love, Love all of my wooden pieces in my "stash"; a very thin red and white       twine; & one last thing - I used my small grass die & cut the little grass under the picnic bench & the basket!!

Ahhhhh gee........now that the picnic is over it is time to get back to work.  I know I have been promising you photos of cards that I have been doing and THEY WILL BE COMING.  But, first I must get ready to go have lunch with my girlfriend, Robyn.  Friends come first and they are a necessity in our lives.  Hugs to all of you and HAPPY CARD MAKING!!!

P. S.  Had a wonderful visit with my friend, Robyn.  We had lunch for four hours and what a treat that was to put everything aside and just talk......like us girls like to do.  Thanks Robyn for our "Happy" time!!