Experiment Themed ATC

This is for a 6:5 ATC swap on ccswaps. The idea is to experiment with new techniques, supplies, etc and make 6 ATCs and we'll receive 5 different ATCs in return. I had experimented with the worksheet wonders technique earlier today, to use in my ATCs. I started with dark green card stock cut to size and ran it through this floral Cuttlebug embossing folder and highlighted the design with Brilliance ink. I also cut this same embossed & inked paper with a leaf die in the Cuttlebug along with the worksheet wonder paper.

I cut the sheet of worksheet wonder into diagonal pieces to glue onto the ATC base, added the cut leaves and two different colored metal leaf charms. All ready for fall!

More Worksheet Wonders

I wanted to try this technique again, using some different inks and powders. I had placed this worksheet in the bottom of my spray box.
Instead of inking on more color, I sprayed this sheet with water (the sprays were all watered based) and folded the paper over to pick up the extra color.

I dabbed off the extra water and heat set the paper. Then I stamped a leafy flourish stamp with Lumiere paint and heat set.
I added some more stamped images with Brilliance and Archival inks, covered the whole thing with clear embossing powder and heat set.
Very little embossing powder stuck to the paper so I ran a light colored Distress ink pad over the entire surface, covered with clear embossing powder and heat set again.
I then crinkled up the paper, ran the same Distress ink pad mainly over the wrinkly part, covered with a harvest embossing powder with glitter and heat set. I have a project in mind for some of this paper. (Sorry I didn't take a close up photo.)

Bandanna Style bags

I needed another set of "creative" wrapping for the second set of gifts I made for the 12 Days of Christmas Swap on ccswaps. I picked up some red lunch sacks at the store, and then the red reminded me of bandannas! Yea, an idea!!! I decided to make something similar to the Birthday card made earlier this summer. I would just use the red of the bag and not color in a background. I cut the bag to the size I wanted and stamped on an image with black Archival ink.

I added color with writing over some of the areas with a gold (I thought gel) pen.

Then I used a white gel pen to highlight other areas.

As I was doing more bags, the gold pen started releasing a more intense gold ink, similar to a gold leafing pen. So I went back and redid the earlier bags with another gold pen I had (the first one started to get blotchy). I think this more intense gold adds more interest to the overall design.

I'll reveal what I placed in these bags the day after Christmas.

More Fabric Paper

I wanted to try the fabric paper on muslin to see what difference there is from the tyvek I used in the fabric/tyvek paper I had made before. I also needed to make "creative" wrapping for my 12 Days of Christmas Swap on ccswaps. I cut up two different Christmas tissue papers and spaced them out on muslin that had been brushed with watered down pva.

I re brushed the surface with watered down pva, layered white tissue paper on top and again the surface was watered down with pva. While it was still wet, I painted different areas with watered down green and silver metallic acrylic paints. Then set outside to dry.
Once the paper was dry, I cut it into 12 sections with regular scissors. I found the material to be sturdy but thin. I wanted to emboss it in the Cuttlebug and was concerned it wouldn't hold the embossing. So I place a thin piece of cardboard in the embossing folder along with the fabric paper and this gave a well formed embossing surface to the fabric paper.

I ran a green Brilliance pad over the entire surface to highlight the embossed images and tone down the overall color.

This made a very sturdy wrapping for the first set of gifts I made for the exchange. No peeking : ) I'll reveal what I made the day after Christmas, so as not to spoil the surprise for those in the swap.

Fun Stash and Tote Giveaway

Cate Prato is an editor for Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors. She is offering her blog readers a chance to win a filled Tote which can be found here. The drawing will be this coming Monday.

Enhancing Fabric with Stamps

I have a sewing project to work on and wanted to add stamp images to the fabric. I'm not ready to "design" my own fabric, but thought it would be fun to embellish some patterned fabric. Like adding additional images to background papers. I found a great tutorial for stamping on fabric by Lenna Andrews.
Here's the first fabric I choose:
I used Fabrico inks with a text stamp to add some dimension to this fabric. I used peony purple, burgundy and forest on different pieces.

Then I used metallic gold Lumiere paint with a swirl stamp for a little subtle glitz. I think this stamping makes the fabric more interesting.
The other fabric I choose is already gorgeous, but thought I could add something to it.
I used the same text stamp with ultramarine Fabrico ink.
And used metallic bronze Lumiere paint with a flourish stamp to give this fabric some glitz.
This is fun to do.

Bird House

I've signed up to do two pages for an "In this House" chunky swap. The first page is a "bird house". The dimensions for this house is 4-1/2" x 8". I used mat board as my base. I wanted a worn paint look. I first covered the mat board with black gesso and let it dry. Then layered on a dark blue acrylic paint, a turquoise acrylic paint and an antique white acrylic paint. Each of these layers were applied with a credit card and the next layer added while the previous layer was still wet, mixing up the colors a bit. While it was still wet, I used the edge of the credit card to "cut" vertical board lines in the paint.
When the paint dried, I rubbed a heavy grit sand paper over the surface vertically.
Then I mixed some antique white acrylic paint with glazing liquid and rubbed it over the surface, wiping off all excess at the same time. Here's what the front of the page looks like after adding embellishments:
Close up of portal. Bird stamped on transparency sheet with black StaZon ink, with alcohol inks dabbed on back, layered onto white paper then onto brown card stock that was edged with cosmic copper Brilliance ink.
Close up of window. Image of girl was layered onto brown card stock, all covered with netting. Piece of bamboo skewer glued to bottom of window.

For the back, I wanted to do a variation on the technique Tim Holtz showed for his March challenge ( I use this one a lot). I cut out the house shape from manila folders. I stamped two bird stamps using gesso and let it dry.

I placed this in a cardboard box and sprayed on three different home made sprays with perfect pearls added and used a heat tool to dry and move the colors around.

I then sprayed on plain purple dye on the bottom and added more of the other sprays as needed to intensify the colors.

Here's what it looks like dry and the combos I used to make the sprays for this project. The background changes in intensity and glimmer depending on the light and how you move it around.

I used the same two stamps with black Archival ink and off set the images a bit to create fore front and background images. I like how the gesso absorbs some of the ink from the sprays and also gives a bit of a resist. I also stamped the word "fly" on the top.

I adhered this to the back of the page, inked the edges with black StaZon ink, added a quote and my name for the swap.