cards

Imagine That: A Tale of Two Backgrounds

In The Studio

Y’all know I’m always up for happy accidents and long ago gave up the idea that things must turn out like I pictured in order to be acceptable. My next project for Imagine falls squarely in that category.

I started out with the idea of doing a marbled background and, well, maybe one of them is pretty close, but the other turned out more like a camo pattern and, hey, I don’t hate it.

In fact, it was a really cool example (I think) of not just happy accidents but how you can do the same things with the same materials and end up with two totally different results.

And I used both backgrounds to make very different cards–one with a more feminine slant and the other more masculine. And I love when I come across techniques that are this versatile.

So head over to the Imagine blog and check out how I came up with these two backgrounds at once and see if it doesn’t spark some happy accidents of your own!

Imagine That: More Than Meets the Eye

In The Studio

One of the many things I love about the new VersaFine Clair is how resilient the color is. I can get multiple impressions from a single inking–with a variety of color of course.

I took full advantage of the great second and third generation stamping abilities to make today’s simple and sweet card.

The great thing about multiple-generation stamping is how it extends your range of stamp pads. With judicious use, you can expand your color palette even if you only have a few stamp pads to work with to start (trust me when I say you’re going to want to get all the colors after you’ve tried a few!).

You can see exactly how this card came together over on the Imagine Blog!

Imagine That: Because the Night

In The Studio

Have you heard about the new product from Tsukineko?! The new ink on the block is VersaFine Clair and it is absolutely amazing–I’m totally in love with it.

Of course I’ve had a chance to play with it–both at home and this past weekend at Creativation–and Nocturne is the perfect rich black for this month’s color challenge.

A few facts about VersaFine Clair:

  • It’s a pigment ink so it’s embossable–better yet, it stays embossable for a few minutes, so you don’t have to hurry.
  • It’s super-pigmented and gives amazing coverage on solid stamps (like my hand-carved little black dress stamp) but it also just as amazing (as the name implies) on fine-line stamps
  • It’s quick-drying–I touched my solid image right after stamping and none came off on my hand and there was no smudging, either!

It’s all kinds of amazing, is what it is. I’m absolutely in love with it and you’ll be seeing it quite a lot in upcoming projects.

Of course, you can check out how it looks in action by heading over to the Imagine Blog and watching my video of how my Girls’ Night Out card came together.

Imagine That: October Projects

In The Studio

Okay, another month has zoomed by, and I have three more Imagine projects to share with you!

Just like last year, our Halloween prep is still pretty low-key (though I do have a perfectly ridiculous dress to wear on Halloween day that I’m incredibly excited for) with Duncan the Destroyer around. No inside decorations have been dragged out but we did get our witches put up for the trick-or-treaters to enjoy.

10/11: Custom Candy Wrappers on the Imagine Blog

On the Imagine blog I created some Halloween candy wrappers that are very quick to put together and would be great as coworker or lunchbox surprises tomorrow, if you’re in need of a last-minute idea. Of course, the same technique would totally work for any other event or holiday, so take a look and run with it in whatever direction your heart desires.

10/16: Faux Bois Box on the Imagine Blog

My love for faux finishes has been well-documented over the past two years with Imagine (what can I say, their products make it so very easy), and this month I managed another. A pretty good (if I do say so myself) facsimile of woodgrain (faux bois) on a folded paper box. The trick is to pay attention tot he direction of the wood grain as it pertains to the piece of the box you’re stamping.

10/30: Pretty in Purple card on the Imagine Blog

And to finish out the month I created a textured card with a faux watercolor background and some word beads I’ve had in my stash a looooong time. This industry comes out with new and notable things all the freaking time, but don’t neglect what you already have on hand. There’s still value in it, after all.

Have a crafty month, folks!

Christmas [Cards] in July!

In The Studio

We all have that friend, you know the one, who starts posting __ weeks ’til Christmas posts on their Facebook wall starting in, oh, February? Or maybe you are that friend? Either way, for those of us not preternaturally tuned to the Christmas countdown, such posts strike a frisson of fear down deep in our bones.

Or maybe just me.

But this year, I’m ready. I’m ready because last year I ordered both the regular Simon Says Stamp monthly card kit AND the additional, deluxe, Simon Says Stamp kit.

And did absolutely nothing with them.

Okay, that’s not 100% true, I opened them up and oohed and aahed over the cute stamps and the pretty papers. That counts, right?

But I didn’t make the cards.

And not only did I not make the cards, I ended up going to the store at the last minute and purchasing assorted pre-printed cards to send out to our nearest and dearest.

Crafter fail.

This year, though, I get to redeem myself because, hey, there will always be another Christmas, and so now those kits have been dragged out and put to good use.

With the addition of some card bases (purchased in a multi-pack from Tuesday Morning), a few spools and/or bottles of adhesive, and a couple additional ink pads, the cards came together over a couple of weekends.

To see how the different cards came together (there are only a handful of the 33! that are actual duplicates), watch the video of me putting them together:

It’s at ludicrous speed, but still helpful. (I had to do something to squeeze 6 hours of footage–and that didn’t include all the coloring–into a theatrical release!)