Large Black Tag

I'm participating in a Chunky book swap with the title "The Amazing Technicolor Dreambook". I choose to do the black page. Each page is a large tag measuring $-5/5" x 8". The tags will be bound together on the left ends. I cut out this shape and stamped on three large butterflies with black Versafine ink. When the ink dries they will be very hard to see, just like it's hard to see things at night in the darkness.

I tore out some black tissue paper (in this light it looks gray, but it is black), crumpled it up and opened it, then stamped on a musical score with the black Versafine ink. Again the stamping is very, very difficult to see (but I like knowing that it is there LOL).

Found an image I liked on the Internet and printed on it some of the words from the song "Blackbird Sings" by Paul McCartney and glued to the tissue paper and onto the tag. Mixed a small amount of silver metallic acrylic paint to some black acrylic paint, sponged it onto a flourish stamp and stamped this over the tag and onto parts of the image. (Make sure to clean acrylic paints off of your stamps right away.)

Several years ago (before I was blogging), I had fun making lots of paste paper (using wall paper paste and acrylic paints). I pulled out three sheets of different black designs and punched out butterfly shapes.

Added three various butterflies to each tag. Tied on a decorative fiber to the star brocade button I made for this project last month and attached to the tag. Ran some black fibers through the polymer clay beads I also made for this project last month and tied them to the end of the tag. Also stamped a small blackbird to the bottom right corner of the image with black Versafine ink.

For the back, took another piece of black card stock and ran it through a musical score Cuttlebug embossing folder three times to get an interesting image. Glued this to the back of the other tag before adding the bead and fibers.

Printed an image off the Internet of a singer, added the title "Blackbird Sings" and my details. Also stamped the same black bird on to the woman's outstretched hand ( hard to see in this picture).

Looking forward to receiving all the colorful pages from the other participants.

Purple ATCs

The theme for the August 6:5 ATC swap on ccswaps is Purple. I was inspired by a purple card sent to me by Trizzy. I used the design as a "sketch". Used a Tim Holtz background stamp and stamped it on to textured purple card stock and also onto light purple card stock with dusty concord Distress ink.

Ran a piece of the purple Double Saran & Watercolor Spray paper I made last fall through a Cuttlebug embossing folder to add texture and then punched out flower shapes. Glued purple glitter to the center of the flowers and colored the edges with a dark purple pen.

Stamped a musical score with purple dye ink on to white paper flowers and glued the purple flowers I just made to the centers.

Tore the stamped light card stock and adhered it over the stamped darker purple card stock. Trimmed the image. Tied on purple floss, glued on the flower, and attached small purple rhinestones to the bird's eye and to the bottom of the card. Inked the edges with a dark purple pen and glued on to very dark purple card stock.

Time ATCs

The theme for the July 6:5 ATC swap on ccswaps is Time. Decided to use the Perfect Distress technique demoed by Tim Holtz. I cut a manila folder into ATC sized (2-1/2" x 3-1/2") pieces. I rubbed the antique linen and the tea dye Distress ink pads on to a craft sheet and spritzed with water, then dipped the ATCs into this ink to pick up color and heat set.

Stamped a large clock on to the card with vintage photo Distress ink and brushed on copper Perfect Pearls over this ink, then brushed of the excess powder.

I lightly spritzed the image with water expecting the ink underneath to run and the perfect pearls to stay put, like the last time I tried this technique. This time, however, the ink stayed put and the perfect pearls ran. I made sure the perfect pearls just ran over the clock face and heat set. Decided I liked this look and continued on.

Trimmed down the card. Stamped a verse on to the background with tea dye Distress ink, clock parts with vintage photo Distress ink and the word "Time" a clock image and a saying with black Archival ink, and heat set.

Colored the edges with copper leafing pen, added two black brads and mounted on to black textured card stock.

Book Study: "Chasing Diamonds"

We're doing a Book Study as a group on NGS, using Nancy Curry's book "Texture Effects for Rubber Stamping". This week we are looking at her project "Chasing Diamonds".
Nancy shows a fabulous technique using black permanent ink on a solid diamond stamp and adding various stamped images with glazed white acrylic paint. You must check it out in her book. She also has two variations in color using pears, outstanding.
Not having the glazed white acrylic paint or the same diamond stamp, I determined to come up with something similar using what I had. I had recently acquired some fabulous ATC background stamps by Tim Holtz, that I wanted to use, decided to use them in this project. I have a large stamp of solid diamonds in a row. I stamped the background stamps with black Archival ink and stamped them directly on to the row of diamonds, deliberately overlapping some of the images. This was then stamped on to white coated card stock and heat set.
I then inked up the row of diamonds stamp in the same black Archival Ink and stamped onto the white coated card stock, heat set. Then cut out the diamond shapes.

Randomly stamped flourishes along the edges of a white card with black Archival Ink.

Choose four of the patterned diamonds and three of the solid ones to form a pattern on blank white card stock. Layered onto black paper and then on to my stamped card.

Pretty cool technique. Hope to try this with some of the other solid stamps I own.

Briar Rose Dress

I was asked to make a dress similar to the one Briar Rose wears when she sings in the forest in Disney's Sleeping Beauty for a special young girl. I couldn't find a pattern, so tried cobbling a few different patterns together and came up with this. Hope she has lots of fun singing & dancing in her new costume.

Distressed Swap

Chrissy is hosting a "Distress It" Swap on ccswaps and I have drawn her name, and decided to make a series of three distressed tags. Back when I made the box for the Book Study, I had lots of extra walnut ink left over, so I soaked several tags into the walnut ink, crumpled them up and let them dry. Then I made a spray of walnut ink and copper perfect pearls, and sprayed it onto one side of the tags.
On three of the tags, colored the raised crinkles with vintage photo Distress ink on the glittery side and heat set. Used a small seam iron to flatten out the tags.

Using black soot Distress ink, stamped on three different background stamps and heat set. And left town for a while.

While I was gone, I had an idea on how to finish my tags. Came back and stamped three sayings with black soot Distress ink, covered with fine detail black embossing powder and heat set.

Cut out three butterflies from the same tags using the Cuttlebug. Colored the butterflies using alcohol inks. These inks soaked through the tags, giving an intense color throughout.

Ran each of the butterflies through a different Cuttlebug butterfly embossing folder.

Working on the glittery side. The edges and raised areas of the pink and purple butterflies were colored with gold Encore ink. The raised areas on the green butterfly were colored with purple Distress ink.

Working on the non-glittery side, stamped the corresponding background stamps using black Versafine ink.

Took three more walnut stained tags and stamped sayings onto them with black Versafine ink. Applied adhesive, glued to the back of the original tags and distressed the edges with a distress tool.

Before gluing on the backs, added three metal brads to each tag. The rough ends are hidden between the tag layers. Glued the butterflies to the tags only along the thin "body", so the butterflies appear 3D and the opposite can be seen when the tag is moved. Also added some fun fibers.

Hope Chrissy enjoys this Distressed Tag series.

June QOTM

The Quote of the Month for the June swap on ccswaps is "There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship" by Saint Thomas Aquinas.
Found a small piece of the first Worksheet Wonder I made last year, and punched out two flower shapes.
Chose two vintage images from the web and printed them out along with this month's quote. I stamped a flourish over these images and the punched out flowers with pink dye ink.

Ran the raised edges of two white paper flowers with silver Encore ink and then stamped the same flourish with black Distress ink.

Also punched out two pink paper flowers and stamped with the same flourish using pink ink. These were layered between the other two flowers and attached with a pink floral bead. Sewed these onto pink ribbon with pink thread.

Each of the images and this month's quote were glued on to a heart silver framed, then sewn onto the same ribbon with pink thread and small beads. Here's a close up of one of the frames:

Made a loop at the top of the ribbon to hang my creation. Also taped a second layer of ribbon onto the first ribbon.

Book Study: Box

We're doing a Book Study as a group on NGS, using Nancy Curry's book "Texture Effects for Rubber Stamping". This week we are looking at her project "Dream Box". Make sure you see her box made from a white papier-mache box, it is gorgeous!!!

I received a swap packed inside a textured white jewelry box, and decided to try Nancy's technique on it. My box is much "shorter" than the one Nancy uses in her book, so there is less surface to work with. Dabbed walnut ink over the surface of the box with a color duster.
Used a cosmetic sponge to move the ink around, being careful to leave some white space and let air dry. I also sponged some walnut ink on to the lid.

Used an old toothbrush with two different brown dye re-inkers to splatter on more color. Let dry.

Stamped on leafy image with brown Stazon ink and partial words with black StaZon ink. Nancy suggests creating a broken text effect by inking only parts of the text stamp.
Nancy added metallic highlights, by stamping one of her images with copper ink. I decided to make a spray out of the extra walnut ink and copper perfect pearls, and sprayed this over the surface.

I used a damp cosmetic sponge to add more color to the lid of the box.

Colored the lid by rubbing a bronze ink pad over the lid then stamped on image with brown StaZon ink and heat set.

Decided the bronze was too similar to the lower box section, and followed Nancy's suggestion to ink the lid with copper ink and heat set.

Nancy stated she colored "cubes" with a copper leafing pen and added 4 of them as feet to the box, and one to the top center of the lid. I couldn't figure what the cubes were made of ( they look fabulous on her box!!!). I found a large old fashioned button I was going to use on the lid, but couldn't get the copper leafing pen to stick on the surface. Found some gold & black metal beads I liked the look on my box. Added four as feet and a larger and different shaped one on the lid along with some decorative fibers. Side view:

Top view: