Mad about Metallics Spotted Canary Challenge

As a member of the Creative Artist Team for EK Success, I contribute to the website, Spotted Canary. This month, I am hosting the monthly challenge and my theme is Mad about Metallics. It will feature all types of crafting that include something metallic. We use a lot of metallic items in paper crafting!

This was my christmas card from 2006. Notice all the uses of different metallic items...metallic cardstock, metallic embossing powder, metallic rubons (one of my favorite things to use!), metallic ribbon, metallic mica product, metal eyelet.....do you get the idea? I think the shine we get from metallic items works great for holiday cards. I usually switch off and do shiny and classy one year and country, natural or rustic another. Metals can have a rustic look also.

Twice in the last week, I was in a friend's home where they had my cards from previous years out displayed and I must say, seeing all of them grouped together makes you see the value of handcrafted cards. Most of them I don't even have a sample of or the photo is on some computer I killed by overloading it with photos {:-)} ....not funny!

How about you...are you making cards this year....are they shiny or rustic? I did a quilt theme last year with moose, after going to Alaska. Well, I spent three weeks in the Rockies this year and the new Forever stamps are very cool evergreens, so I think that will be my theme. I do sometimes plan around the postage stamps that are available. Then there was the year that I had postage stamps made to match the card and had a bet with my hubby about whether people would notice or not. He won....guess my postage stamp design looked like something that would be on a postage stamp! Most people did not even notice!

Anyway, come by and check out the Spotted Canary. I would love to see you post something in the challenge....you never know, you might just win!

Paper Quilts

Well, I shredded several sheets of K & Company paper to use in my Martha Stewart Crafts Photo Holder cards that I found at Big Lots. Each package has two of each of these cards, envelopes, glue and two colors of glitter (all for $2!). There is an easel flap that can be secured to display the cards. I tried to choose papers that would work in any of the three colors and then once I had added all the strips, I decided which color I thought the quilt looked best in....another thing I learned was to use a background paper that would not stand out. Instead of using white, I used some kraft paper I have that are full sheet labels. I cut three 4.25 by 6.25 pieces of adhesive kraft paper from each sheet of 8,5 by 11 paper. I am going out of town this week, so I plan on taking these and the strips with me so I can do some quilting!

The card above uses one of the new Spellbinders die and it looks like it was made for this card opening! The sentiment is from Sparkle N Sprinkle. I used gutter guard through the Wizard to give the quilt a quilted look. The satin ribbon gives a nice authentic look.

For the brown one, I used a Spellbinders Impressabilities and the green one, a new Sizzix embossing folder. Both of them were distressed a little with the metallic rub-ons. Before removing the Impressability and embossing folder, I lightly sanded with a white block sanding block. Leaving it in place makes the design show up a little better. I don't sand the gutter guard one as it is not a delicate design like the others.

These are a great thing to do while watching tv or when you want something mindless to do! Once you get it all mounted, the patchwork almost looks like a piece of paper....too bad someone doesn't make paper that looks that much like a quilt!
Now that I have my paper shredder and am using the sticky labels to stick them to, I am going to go back and use some of these strips to do the bargello again. Happy Stamping!

Quilt with a background pattern

First, let me say, Happy Card Making Day!!! Hope you can grab a little time to make some cards!

I was in Big Lots recently and saw a $2 stamp with a solid quilt pattern on it....I thought of the technique where you ink up a background stamp and then impress a solid stamp on that inked background to create the background in the shape of the solid stamp. I thought that would be cool to use to create a patterned quilt. Above you see the finished quilt after it went through the Wizard with gutter guard for the quilted embossed look. I also did some stitching around the edges, once I made it too my sewing machine (I told you I was the Queen of too much stuff!!)

Here you can see the pattern from the background stamp. Notice also that the pattern is a little off center....I always learn something when I do a card and I learned something on this one.

Before running the "quilt" through the Wizard, I applied some of these creamy metallic rub ons. These have always been one of my favorite products, but I have been concerned as I had not seen Dennis, the man that sold these, at recent trade shows. Well, at my recent visit to Bonnie Boyle's shop, I learned that he retired and sold the company to a friend of mine, Ellen. I met Ellen through her sister, Carolyn Hurst. Anyway, to make a long story short, Bonnie carries these. I did not see them on her website, but I know she has them. These babies are one of the best values in the stamping world!

Another great buy is the EK Success Stamp-a-ma-jig stamp positioner! I have loved this since it first came out! You see, this quilt was made with a small stamp.

But, with the wonders of this stamp positioner, you can make your quilt as large as you want!

My card is a six inch square, made up of nine stamped images.

If you have never used a stamp positioner, you place the clear imaging sheet in the corner of the stamp positioner. Ink your stamp with dye ink and allow the corner of the wood block (or acrylic mount) to go down that corner (noticing the direction you have your stamp so you can repeat that direction each time) and stamp an image on the imaging sheet. Use the clear imaging sheet to place the dye stamped image exactly where you want it, placing the positioner up in that corner. Hold on to the positioner and remove the imaging sheet. Now ink the stamp with the ink you want to use and slide it down the corner of the positioner. There you have it! I also told you I learned something when making this card. Why not use the stamp positioner on the getting the background image I am transferring to the solid stamp in a centered position rather than it being off center? I did not redo this card, but on the next one, I will use the positioner on this particular background.

To ink your background, just apply ink to the background as it is laying flat. Obviously, the background needs to be larger than your flat stamp for an overall pattern.

Yes, the Stamp-a-ma-jig stamp positioner and metallic rub-ons are a couple of my favorite things! I am sure there are names for this technique....I first saw it in the Rubber Stamper Magazine (another past favorite thing!). Speaking of which, it won't be long before the Nov/Dec issue of Crafts N Things will be coming out....I have not been able to get any paper crafting items published in that magazine, but should have a couple of other type items in that issue.

One other note, while at Big Lots, I picked up some Martha Stewart Crafts kits for making black eyed susan flowers and also photo holder cards. I plan on making more strip quilts for those photo holders and K & Company has the perfect paper to go with the colors! I will share those later :-)

Welcome Home

With this Serendipity Stamp, I stamped with Versafine ink and then painted the scene. I had this paper that looked kind of rustic, so I used those colors in the painting so I could use that paper. Sometimes I paint first and then match paper, but in this instance, the paper determined the colors I used when painting. I added the clay colored road heading up to the barn, as that is what we would have here in most areas of Georgia. The shading in the corners done with Metallic Rubons does not look so severe in real life as it does in the photo.

Hope you are having a great day!