Sudoku Round 3 - Step 2 on Bev's background

I love these Sudoku ATC swaps. So fun to receive an atc in progress and just add one bit, send it off and later see the beautiful results! So I was excited to receive mail from Bev today. She made phone book backgrounds. I immediately knew what I wanted to do, and was happy I had time to play.

Stamped flourishes with VersaMark ink, covered with super fine detail clear embossing powder and heat set. I realized that some of the color from the underneath cardboard shows through, how cool is that!

 Sprayed with red Starburst. This is a red spray with gold speckles in it.

 Fun watching these dry.

 The spray beaded up on the embossed area, used my finger to spread it over the paper.

 Looking fun, I'll be sending these off to Jan for the next step.

Second round Sudoku ATCs are done!

I've now received all the Sudoku ATCs from our second round. Like with the first round, I've placed them in my Valise Book we made when our group was together in Wisconsin. 

My Metallic Explosion backgrounds, love all the additions and how this atc turned out!

 Kathy's background, I did the second step.

 Maggi's background, I did the third step.

 Jan's background, I did the fourth step.

 Chrissy's background, I did the fifth step.

 Mary's background, I did the sixth step.

 Margaret's background, I did the seventh step.

 Bev's background, I did the final step.

I love how this Valise Book looks with these two rounds of Sudoku atcs in them. Need to add some art quotes on the few blank pages, and maybe some pictures of our group when we were in Wisconsin.
Next, I need to turn the Glimmer Mist and Plastic Wrap papers we made together into a book for our next several Sudoku rounds.....

Unusual shaped card

My other stamp club meets tonight and the theme is unusual shaped cards. I don't have any dies of an appropriate size to make a card, and I'm not very good at cutting with scissors. I need 12 cards, so I used my paper cutter to cut out a hexagon shape out of this shimmery green card. Ran the front piece through an embossing folder. Colored the raised areas and edges with shabby shutters Distress Ink.

Colored a white silk blossom with shabby shutters Distress Ink. Layered half of them on a white paper flower and added a "pearl" to the center. Layered the other half on a yellow paper flower, added a "pearl" colored with yellow alcohol ink.

 Added the flower to the center of the card and smaller yellow "pearls" to the centers of the raised design areas on the card with the yellow flower and

 smaller white pearls to the cards with the white flowers.

It will be fun to see the other unusual shaped cards tonight.

Embossed Tissue/Washi tape Cards

While reading up on tissue/washi tapes, I came across a fun tutorial on Embossed Washi. A fun way to make cards using some of the faux tissue/washi tape I made earlier.

Placed strips of the faux tissue/washi tape made out of origami paper on white card stock.

 Ran through a textured embossing folder. Love how the texture shows through the washi tape as well.

 Stamped a saying with midnight blue StazOn ink, added a "gold" frame with brads and layered on dark blue card.

 On this card, I stamped a saying in bronze pigment ink on metal flecked origami paper tape. I forgot to run the tape through the embossing folder with the bronze paper. So after adding the faux tape to the layered care, I ran a bone folder over the faux tape. This shows the embossed dots a bit, not as well as if I'd remembered to run it through the embossing folder. Added a paper flower with a fancy brad and placed on a pink card.

 I have a sibling who'll turn "the big 5 0" this coming year. I wanted a card that will be easy to mail (i.e., no embellishments). Covered white card stock with alternating b&w dotted tissue paper faux tape and red tissue paper faux tape. Ran through a birthday embossing folder. Colored the raised areas with platinum and bronze pigment inks. Colored the edges with platinum pigment ink and layered on red card. Fun & easy.

Cards with Faux Tissue/Washi Tapes

Made a few cards with the faux tissue/washi tape I made earlier. I cut the multi color stamped tissue paper into thin strips and created a "woven" appearance in one corner of tan card stock. Used a metal circle sticker to hide where the tape wasn't really woven and added a butterfly. Stamped saying with matching dark cherry StazOn ink which was used on the tape. Used gold Krylon pen to ink the edge. Layered on metallic red card stock and then on to a gold card.

Darkened the stamped tissue paper faux tissue/washi tape with gathering twigs Distress Ink. Ran a brown card through an embossing folder and lightly sanded the raised areas. Stamped map image on paper and colored with various shades of Distress Inks. Stamped saying with sepia Archival Ink, and compass image with gathering twigs Distress Ink. Stamped "travel" and embossed with gold embossing powder. Added a brass brad and distressed with a distressing hammer.

Had this card in my stash for some time. Stamped on postmarks with India Ink and added the faux tissue/washi tape made with the paper first aid tape.

Used faux tissus/washi tape made with origami paper on this card. Used tan card stock, stamped saying and embossed with silver pearl embossing powder (ep). Added silver metal birthday sticker over a cupcake image embossed with silver pearl ep and colored with dye ink markers. Colored edge with silver Krylon pen and layered on to a dark blue card.

Made a quick card for my Dad's birthday. Stamped confetti with silver Encore! ink on dark blue card. Layered the tissue paper faux tissue/washi tape over white paper. Added a silver metal cake sticker over red paper with my Dad's upcoming age on red paper.

Faux Tissue/Washi Tape

There are a great variety of tissue/washi tapes on the market now. And many are creating there own faux tissue or washi tape. I decided to experiment and take my results to stamp club last night. The top strip is white florist tape, the middle is paper first aid tape and the bottom is white tissue paper run through a Xyron adhesive machine. I used the same stamp and permanent ink on all three. The tissue paper had the most vivid color. The florist tape, besides not being as adhesive as tape, stretched while being handled. It could be used with adhesive.

 Next, I added color to the tapes with tea dye Distress Ink. Again, the tissue paper had the most intense color. The paper first aid tape is the easiest to use and will work when a more muted look is desired.

 Also, stamped over a tissue paper with a variety of permanent ink colors and stamps. This will be cut into various width strips.

 found some sparkly red tissue paper in my stash and stamped birthday stamp with dark blue StazOn in. The top piece is the tissue paper run through the Xyron adhesive. The lower one, is the tissue paper first adhered to light weight paper then through the Xyron adhesive.

 Found some light weight origami paper printed, ran through the Xyron adhesive and cut into strips for some bright colorful faux tissue/washi paper.

We discussed in club how much fun we'll have re looking at all the various tissue papers and paper napkins in our stashes to make more of these fun tapes!
The advantage of making your own tapes, is you can create your own themes and match colors with the inks you have.

Zettiology ATC

Liz picked the theme "Zettiology" for this months 9ATC group. I think "zettiology" is what a term Teesha Moore uses for her artwork.  I used a brayered re-inker piece for my background. Cut out dress shape from an old background I wasn't happy with after darkening the color with Barn Door Distress ink. Colored the edges of the background and the dress with a black Sharpie marker. Stamped a face image with black India Ink and cut out.

Wrote a saying with black Micron pen on the dress. Wrote some words with a red metallic gel pen on the background.

Decided to highlight the words on the background and circle some of the words on the dress with a white gel pen.

My interpretation of "zettiology".

Compendium of Curiosities 2 Challenge #10 - Tissue Wrap Flower

The 10th Challenge from Tim Holtz's book "Compendium of Curiosities 2" is up on Linda's blog. This time the technique is the Tissue Paper Flower on pg. 37 of the book. I didn't have the tissue wrap when Tim demonstrated this technique last year in his final 12 Tags of Christmas post, so I was glad to have this prompt to try it today! An added bonus in Linda's Challenge this week, the Funkie Junkie's Boutique is offering a $25 gift certificate to one participant.

Here's my flower following the instructions in Tim's book.

 I love how Tim's tissue wrap takes water and the the Distress Stain without dissolving or wilting. I sprayed the flower with water then applied peeled paint Distress Stain, then dried with a heat tool.

 Sprayed with heirloom gold Perfect Pearls mist.

 Added a large bauble brad to the center of the flower. This close up sort of shows the glimmer of the Perfect Pearls mist.

Decided on of my Torn Specialty Paper Background cards needing something, so I added my tissue wrap flower to the front:

ATC based on Tim's June 2012 Tag

So glad I've had a couple of days to play in the craft room. I was excited to try out the techniques Tim Holtz demonstrates in his June Tag. I've adapted them to be used on an atc. 

The background is made with the marbled stains technique. Shake the picket fence Distress Stain and press onto a craft sheet. I used broken china, vintage photo, and antique linen Distress Stains around the picket fence Distress Stain.

 Pull a Manila card stock through the stains, dry with a heat tool.

Mist water over card stock and heat set with heat tool.

 Colored small piece of rose trim by misting with water then applying broken china Distress Stain. Let dry.

 Stamped images randomly along edges with black archival ink.

 I saw the post of this month's tag just before two of my grandchildren arrived for a visit, so I took a picture on them on our beach. Printed the photo in B&W on photo paper in an ink jet printer. Used various colors of Distress Ink with Cut n Dry pen nibs as Tim demonstrates in a video in this month's blog post.

 Used a piece of Cut n Dry foam to apply antique lined Distress Ink over the photo and vintage photo Distress Ink over the edges (as demonstrated in the video).

 Stamp words along one side of the photo with black soot Distress Ink.

Choose a piece of Tim's background paper, tore bottom of paper and used distress tool along the other edges. Colored edges with tea dye Distress Ink.

Adhered photo to the background paper and then adhered to the marbled stains background. Attached a small piece of film strip ribbon with a mini star brad. Loved that the first bit of the ribbon has the metal eyelet attached!!!  Place a piece of tissue tape to the other upper corner. Added snow cap acrylic paint to the metal word strip (rubbing paint off the raised area, leaving the paint in the letters), attached with brads.

Colored ribbon with vintage photo Distress Stain and attached through the eyelet in the film strip ribbon. Attached the rose trimming with a large bauble brad and metal leaf attachments. Decided the mini star brad was too small and added "S" with clear pebble.

Now I've learned lots of techniques, have a beautiful keepsake of my grandchildren's visit with me!