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think spring

We still have a bit of snow on the ground here in New Jersey, and still have to get through March... but, spring should be right around the corner! However, we always seem to get a snowstorm or two in April... Today's card features Lockhart Stamp Company Bouquet, to keep my thoughts of spring from vanishing!! Image was stamped in black ink on white cardstock, main image colored in with markers. Flowers were simply colored in with one light blue, then detailed with a little darker blue. The pink buds were just dotted with a coral marker - easy image to color in quickly! Memory Box Blue Poppy card base, and matching cardstock was used for the small light blue strip. I stamped the long floral rose image and trimmed to the size needed. The blue buds and the buds on the light blue strip were colored in with a glitter pen. Thank you for stopping by!

stamps: Lockhart Bouquet,Thanks a Bunch sentiment and Millinery Rose Ribbon paper: Memory Box Blue Poppy and cotton candy, Papertrey Ink white, patterned: The Crafter's Workshop ink: Palette pad in Noir Black accessories: Copic markers, Atyou clear glitter pen, 5/8" light blue polka dot ribbon, sewing machine and thread, paper piercer and mat, pinking shears, Tim Holtz ruler (temporarily out of stock -more due by mid-March..hopefully!!).

bebe on the way!

Volunteering at the book fair for the school this week - not much time so I must make fast cards! Happy news today - I found out a friend is expecting! Lockhart sweeeeeeet ice cream and pickles image was stamped on white cardstock and colored with markers. I outlined everything with my favorite BV31 pale lavender so it would make the images 'pop'. I used a Tim Holtz trick for this one! I cut the white cardstock to the size I wanted, then realized I wanted the 'congratulations' really low - there was not enough room for the stamp-a-ma-jig to 'grab' the cardstock. So, using Tim's trick to make grungeboard 'hold still' (see his step 8), I took a glue dot (a mini one) and placed it on the back of my white stamped piece, then stuck it to my non-stick craft sheet. Presto! It held in place for me to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig! This layout and stamp usage was inspired by Trudee Sauer's post here - her card is absolutely gorgeous!!!!!

stamps: Lockhart Stamp Company paper: patterned: retired Crate paper, white: Papertrey Ink; green cardstock and folded card base - key lime from Memory Box ink: Palette pad in Noir accessories: Copic markers, white 5/8" polkadot ribbon, celery eyelet: Impress

studio clothesline

Folks that visit the house that do not stamp, always ask why I have a clothesline in my studio window. Only you guys would understand. :) I use this to dry anything that gets wet - whether I misted it with water, Ranger Adirondack sprays, Glimmer Mist, and so forth. It is just white cotton twine (like what you're supposed to use to tie up turkey legs but I have yet to use it for that - lol) strung between two 3M plastic clips (Wal-Mart!). The clips come with adhesive strips that come off cleanly when you want to take them off. The round ornament is a glass ball that I covered with polymer clay cane slices. The square ornament I made from a box template using Serendipity letters (N, O, E, L) and their stamps. Thank you for stopping by and hope you have a wonderful week!

baby congrats

The first time I saw scalloped notecards was in a magazine - and I found some for around $8 for 10. Super nice notcards, but pricey for me. Michelle Wooderson came up with the idea of using a Spellbinders Nestability die and making custom ones! Thanks Mish, and thank you for the wonderful directions too!!! A family member of ours is having a baby boy - so I used that excuse to play with Mish's directions on how to make one of these....Well, they are easy and fun and the results are incredibly professional. I love it when I am able to make something that is less expensive than what is manufacturered, and still look professional. Seriously - it looks like I bought these and paid bookoo bucks for them! I used a Memory Box notecard in Blue Poppy - these notecards from Memory Box are white on the inside and a color on the outside. Their cardstock sheets are this way too. Quality product in both look and feel. Following Mish's directions I ran the Blue Poppy notecard and scallop die (their largest one) through a Cuttlebug, and used a small piece of white polka dot ribbon at the top fold. I then die cut a circle from polka dot paper and adhered. I punched another Nestability circle from white cardstock and stamped Lockhart Stamp Company's baby carriage, coloring in with Copic markers. I also used a Krylon Leafing pen in silver to edge the white circle. I'd recommend doing this edging first, and letting it dry, because if you do all the work coloring in and smudge it w/the leafing pen...oh does that hurt... :) :( I used a marker to make the dots on the blanket to mimic the dots in the patterned paper & ribbon. Dang I love dots!! The stamped circle was mounted with dimensionals. Thank you for stopping by & hope you have a wonderful weekend! polka dot paper - The Crafter's Workshop, white cardstock - Papertrey Ink; Jet Black Archival Ink (Ranger);

for the love of birds

I love birdies - all kinds! Even the male cardinal that keeps pecking my transom windows - he has for the last three years... he pecks at the all the shiny silver parts on my neighbor's car, he pecks at the solar lights along the path out back...but, I do respect what he thinks he is doing (com'mon - after three years you'd think he would know it is his reflection!!) and appreciate him being there, although not at six in the morning... :) I teased him one year and put a fake cardinal bird from Michaels in my front door wreath - he pecked the fake eyes out and pulled it OUT from the wreath - I found the fake bird on the ground! LOL! I've tried putting beanie babies in the transoms (it really made guests ask funny questions - ha ha!....nothing works....I'm going to have to fashion fake cobwebs on the window insides somehow I think.... :) Anyhow, Memory Box has a line of paper just out called Aerial. Size and scale is perfect for a wide range of ideas....well, it arrived and I saw the cover of the 6x6 pad, and I started drooling! I saw these finished ornaments in my mind right away! These finished ornaments are heavy - too heavy to be worn as pendants. So I decided to liven up my door handle of my studio (the rub on 'inspiring' was from an Uppercase Living party). They use two 2" x 3" pieces of beveled glass. I collaged the birdie Aerial paper with 7gypsies papers, vintage dictionary snippets and white mulberry paper. The chandelier pieces are vintage and from an estate auction over in Pennsylvania. May Arts and Martha Stewart ribbon, Swarovski crystals and all sterling silver wire and components. The middle ornament has a Swarovski crystal adhered to the outside of the piece with Glossy Accents. The pendant on the left uses 1" x 1-7/8" pieces of glass. All pieces were created by sandwiching collaged art between two panes of glass, taping, soldering, attaching jumprings. Soldering is addictive for me - I think I could solder for days and never get over how amazing the transformation is. It's like heat embossing! LOL! Thank you for stopping by!

bandana technique

Ellen Hutson told me about a stamping method called a 'bandana technique'. I googled it, and found Robin Beam's blog that detailed how she developed this technique. These monogrammed pendants were created as gifts utilizing this technique. Ellen stated this technique was a hit at the Ranger booth at CHA last week, as they utilized Ranger's new White Opaque Pen (StarLitStudio will be carrying this as soon as it ships!). Using a white gel pen I had here from Signo, I mimicked the technique. The dots were difficult to do with the Signo pen, and the coverage was not consistent. My hopes are Ranger is going to answer wishes for a 'quality, reliable, white opaque pen!'. We'll see once it gets here. I created background paper by dragging the glass droppers from various Distress reinkers (Peeled Paint, Dusty Concord and Scattered Straw) on a non-stick craft sheet, then misting generously with water. Holding a 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" piece of white cardstock (papertreyink.com) I pressed the cardstock down onto the inked craft sheet, and spun the cardstock ninety degrees. Messy? YES! But fun..... :) Next, I lifted the cardstock off and hung on my studio clothesline to dry. I did this three times with three sheets of white cardstock before all the ink was used up. Once dry I ironed them flat. You could iron them immediately or use a heat tool, and not wait to air dry, but it was after one o'clock in the morning when I did these, so I hung them to dry and started again in the morning... ;) I chose Lockhart's Millinery Rose stamp, because I think it is a nice, flowing, whimsical flourish. The rose flourish was stamped with Archival Ink in Jet Black (Ranger), then I outlined parts of the stamped images with the opaque pen: doodling, adding hearts, dots and generally being silly and non-conforming - it was fun, and the effect...dramatic! The monogram (Hero Arts) was stamped with the same ink, then centering the monogram I punched it out using a square punch. I sandwiched the monogram square along with another decorated square for the back (Prima flower and vintage dictionary snippet, and one of the rose flourishes for the Prima center!) between two panes of glass, taped, soldered and added jump ring and crystal embellishments. Soldering how to post here. Thank you for stopping by!

peachy paperweight

What a peach of a paperweight! A detailed how-to for this simple but delightful gift is in this post. Lockhart Stamp Company offers various fruit images - the cherries and peaches are two of my favorites! They are not only fun to color but easy to color - use a lighter marker for the whole peach than a slightly darker to accent each peach - done. :) To create, simply stamp image, color with non-bleeding markers (I used Copic), then dispense a layer of Glossy Accents or other similar adhesive onto the glass disc back. Using your finger smear adhesive completely over back of glass disc and adhere stamped image. I use an old, plastic card (or an old credit card) to squeegie/swipe out any air bubbles between the glass disc and the piece of cardstock, or use your fingers and keep an eye on the image for any bubbles. Use baby wipes to periodically clean your fingers of the adhesive and to wipe the glass. Adhere cork or felt to the back with Glossy Accents or the same adhesive used previously. Done! These also make excellent magnets - Adhere four classic-style magnets (Michael's Craft Store).

Source for jumbo glass discs - www.wholesalersusainc.com.

sweet ride

Oh the love of vintage cars...this stamp is one of those that fits the bill when I need a quick masculine card! The verse and vintage car images are from B Line Designs. Into a Mini Mister, I placed a dropper full (not just a drop) of Brushed Corduroy Distress reinker, about 1/8 of a teaspoon of Gold Perfect Pearls, and filled the tiny container to about 3/4 full with water. Shook to incorporate the products, and misted this mixture onto a standard office tag. I'm impatient sometimes, so I ironed it flat with a craft iron and did not wait for it to air dry. Distress various torn Tim Holtz and 7gypsies papers and collaged them onto the tag, then stamped cars and sentiment with Archival Ink (Ranger) in Jet Black. Inked edges using a blending tool and a Walnut Stain Distress pad. I used a Pesto Adirondack pad and stamped 3 autos image at random onto a Pea Pod folded card (Memory Box) and blended the edges too. Added striped ribbon and a Making Memories brad that to me, looks like an old tire! :) Inside the card - I spent some time on the inside of this one. Normally my card insides are not this fancy. ;) (sentiments: Penny Black & Stampin' Up!) Thank you for stopping by!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!! Arturo cards are fine, luxurious stationary from Italy, available in delicious hues from Ellen Hutson, LLC. Here, I've paired lavender Arturo cards with a folk heart design from Lockhart that reminds me of the Pennyslvania Dutch influence I had while growing up. Where I grew up, near Kutztown, PA, hex signs were common on sides of barns. This image from Lockhart reminds me of that happy place from when I was young. :) By changing the sentiment, this design could be used for a wedding card, anniversary, thank you, or in my case - a Valentine's Day card! It is simple enough for mass production as well. To hide the seam of the lavender polka dot sheer ribbon, I adhered it first, meeting the ribbon ends at the front center of the card front and layering the oval pieces on top. The heart image was stamped with Palette ink in Noir Black, then colored with Copic markers. I used my fave BV31 pale lavender to outline the whole image to make it 'pop'. Image was then punched with a Marvy oval punch. The scalloped oval was punched with a Marvy scallop oval punch using Lavender Memory Box paper. Using a 1/16" hole punch I zapped the scallop oval at every loop, mounted layers with dimensionals. Sentiment is from Papertrey Ink. Thank you for stopping by!

dragonflies love flowers

This idea idea will be part of a Mother's Day class of mine in April. This idea of a pen with a faux silk flower was inspired from the book Pretty Little Things by Sally Jean Alexander. I adapted her idea to suit clear plastic tubing from Home Depot or any similar store. The size tubing I used, located in the plumbing department, is 3/8" x 1/4". This measurement means the outside of the tubing is 3/8" in diameter and the inside is 1/4". The bundle of tubing was 10 feet total for around $5. I cut the tubing to 5-1/2" - just long enough for a nice, graceful pen. This size tubing allows a Bic stick pen to fit perfectly - nice and snug - into the tube! The beauty of this is, if you are in love with your pen when the ink dries up you can remove the old ink barrel and insert a new one! :) Here's my steps: After cutting the tubing I stamped the adorable Lockhart dragonfly randomly onto white paper - roughly 1-1/4" x 5-1/2". The paper I used was the white backing of a printed decorative paper - not cardstock. Cardstock is too thick and too heavy to curl nicely into a tiny tube. I colored in the little dragonflies with markers, then rolled up the stamped paper nice and tight around a skinny dowel (you could try a paintbrush too) and inserted it into the plastic tubing. Using wirecutters I removed the ink barrel and nib from a Bic Stick pen, and inserted the barrel & nib into the plastic tubing. No need to glue - the fit is perfect. The nib will push a bit of the stamped paper out the opposite end of the tubing. Trim paper flush with tubing using scissors. Next I put a dollop of E-6000 adhesive (you could use any strong industrial cement/adhesive) into the opposite tube opening and inserted a faux flower with stem trimmed to about 1/2". Allow to dry, then stamp the flower petals and add vintage silver glass glitter. Again, the idea for dressing up the petals is from Sally Jean Alexander. I am going to try varying the length - making my next pens longer or shorter, or use plain text weight (think computer printer paper weight) patterned paper like the rose pen below! Thank you for stopping by!

winner!

Catherine said... WOW, those are fun free stuff =)i love his distress inks.Thanks for the chance! Catherine I'll be emailing you to get your shipping address! I will have more of these in the future for you all - thank you & have a great week!

free stuff

These goodies need a loving home. :) . The only item not pictured but included is a full, sealed, 50 yard spool of May Arts white 3/8" polka dot sheer ribbon! I will be teaching a class tomorrow (Monday) and will be checking back Tuesday morning and will post the winner Tuesday afternoon. Please leave a post (one post per person please) and if there is not a link to contact you please leave your email addy. A random number generator will be used. If you post, please let me know what your favorite t!m product is, and if you'd like to, tell me why it's your fave! Winner will be picked Tuesday afternoon, February 12th. Thank you and good luck!!!

contest closed - winner posted in above post & thank you!

gift ensemble

It's been a while since I played with Stampin' Up!'s stamps. Their images held a back burner for me for years, due to their restrictive angel policy - which was lifted a few months back. Yippie! This gift set was created for my husband's co-worker who fell and broke her leg and can't return to the office for a few more weeks. Although I would not mind being caged in my house for a few months, I can completely understand how this would annoy others who like to get out and about. I'm telling you all now - I'm going to be one of those grey-haired ladies that never, ever, leaves her house. Give me delivery service and the UPS man. I'm good. LOL! The gift box with clear lid - this gives your handmade cards a very professional presentation they deserve. The boxes fit seven envelopes and six cards (love giving an extra envelope for potential mistakes in addressing). I found these gift boxes at Nashville Wraps. They do not arrive flat, so prepare a big spot to store them - lol... For the interior of the box I created an elongated rectangle spacer from a piece of white cardstock. This stabilizes the cards and envelopes inside the box and allows for a custom fit of the contents. The bookmark featured in this photo is from this post. Thank you for stopping by! flower stamps - SU, thanks sentiment - A Muse, interior verse - Verses Rubber Stamps; Memory Box pre-scored cards, envelopes and paper, SU decorative paper, dimensionals and scallop circle punch; Adirondack inks (Ranger); May Arts satin ribbon; brads; Prima flowers.

you made my day

Hero Arts new 2008 stamps are out - this one sang to me (pardon the pun)...

I like cards that make me happy. And I like this birdie in blue, cuz my grandma loved birds and this color blue too! Makes me think of her. I find I am using eyelets more now that I've got the hang of the Crop-a-Dile. :) Brown and olive waterbased markers were applied to the stamp; image was then stamped onto a piece of white cardstock. Layered onto card - easy peasy!

cardstock: Memory Box, Papertrey Ink; Archival Ink - Jet Black (Ranger); Copic Markers; eyelets and olive and brown markers - Stampin' Up; metal rimmed tag (Staples); circle punch -EK Success; olive May Arts ribbon.

bookmarks - simple to exotic

Bookmarks make great gifts - and if you have soldering materials, great! If not - that's great too! Check this out: use those metal rimmed tags to create unique embellishments and simply wire them onto a shepherd's hook bookmark. Add some beads if you like! The butterfly image (Hero Arts) was stamped onto a piece of white cardstock scrap in black waterproof ink. I smeared a layer of Glossy Accents onto a small, clear, flat-backed marble and mashed it down onto the stamped butterfly. Allow to dry (Glossy Accents dries FAST - like seconds) then cut around the glass marble. Next I used copper tape and taped around the marble, sealing the cardstock backing. I added more tape on the back of the marble, so when I added solder the whole back looks nice and shiny! I added a jumpring when I added the solder. For the monogram L: This piece is what started all of this bookmark business. My husband's co-worker fell and broke her leg, and he asked if I would make her something and send it to her. So I figured a box of thank you notes and a bookmark - her name begins with L, so I stamped an uppercase L (Papertrey Ink - Trajan Alphabet) on a piece of 1" square white cardstock scrap in black waterproof ink, and sandwiched it between two 1" square pieces of glass. Taped edges and soldered, adding a jumpring. Now, if you are asking, "Hey Cindy! I don't solder but like the general idea!" Well, I came up with an idea for using one of the million metal rimmed tags I have (OK it is really not a million, it just looks like a million tags to anyone of the male species that sees them and does not stamp - lol). I love this tiny cupcake image (Lockhart Stamp Company) but wanted it to have a three-dimensional cherry - so sandwiching it between glass was not an option. Stamped cupcake image onto white cardstock scrap, and punched out using a circle punch so it would fit neatly inside the metal rimmed tag. Adhere inside metal rimmed tag and punch attachment hole. Colored in using Copic markers, then used the Copic markers to color a pearl embellishment. Note how I used my fave B31 pale lavender to make the whole stamped image pop. I glued the tiny colored pearl over the stamped cherry using Glossy Accents. I didn't want to rely on the adhesive backing of the pearl knowing this bookmark was going to get knocked around and probably knocked off. So, by using Glossy Accents, it would take a 5yr old a few seconds to peel it off. lol... Thank you for stopping by!

sparkle cupcake

Nothing sparkles quite like vintage German glass glitter - this cupcake image uses sparkle-y pink colored glass granules to create a focal image with impact! This template is from the last issue of The Stampers' Sampler magazine. Easy template - quick card with a nice glittery effect. To create the cupcake, I created the template on the card base using Basic Grey's Two Scoops Swirl paper. Stamped Lockhart cupcake once on a circle of white cardstock and once on a piece of white cardstock scrap. I colored in the cupcake bottom portion on the circle cardstock, and placed a dimensional on the icing part to show off the raised icing layer. Then I cut out the icing part only on the cardstock scrap. Using a tiny Xyron machine, I ran the icing portion through the sticker machine, creating a layer of adhesive over the top of the image. Using tweezers, I dipped the icing into the pink glass glitter, avoiding the cherry part so I could attach a crystal there later. The glitter sticks so nicely to Xyron tape. I edged the bottom of the card front with a glue pen then dipped it into a line of the pink glass glitter for even more sparkle! Thank you for stopping by! I am having a give-away this week and am scooping up merchandise today! I returned from my mother-in-law's funeral down in Georgia yesterday. She passed away due to breast cancer. Thank you to those that sent cards and emails; I will close with a funny story: My MIL was 84, and had lots of elderly girlfriends. My MIL looked fabulous in the casket - almost radiant. The man that does the preparations - his name is Larry. Larry is very, very good and is well known in the community for his amazing funeral preparation of the body. Anyway, one of my MIL's elderly friends came up to me as I was standing beside the casket. This little lady turned to me and said in a sweet Southern accent, "Oh she looks so beautiful! I told my kin when I went if Larry wasn't available to just cremate me." I laughed so hard through the tears!! Best wishes for a wonderful week ~ Lockhart Cupcake, Lockhart Happy Cupcake Day sentiment; Stamper's Select white cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Two Scoops decorative papers; Copic markers; Archival ink in Jet Black (Ranger); Swarovski crystal; Pink Cameo German glass glitter; tiny Xyron sticker machine (Wal-Mart); Nestabilities; dimensional (stampin' up)

more lavender...a clip this time!

The closest Target store to me is about 35-40 minutes, so I don't go very often...but when I do I have a looooong list! The first thing I hit is their dollar spot - I found a package of two big plastic clips with a nice magnet backing for $1. I'm always looking for nice yet easy and inexpensive gift ideas for teachers, neighbors, friends... and I saw potential to collage the front of these big clips! Lavender image was stamped and colored, edges distressed & inked. A small strip of lavender cardstock was stamped with just the word 'lavender', trimmed with scissors, distressed & inked. The entire stamped image was outlined heavily with Copic marker BV31 to make the image 'pop' (just like the soldered piece in the previous post). Each layer of this collage was distressed with a Tim Holtz paper distresser. It gives a wonderful, raw, aged look to your projects, especially if you ink the edges afterwards! The colored image was matted on a piece of lavender cardstock (edges distressed too). The clip was traced on a piece of taupey-olive cardstock, then cut out. Edges were sanded, distressed, then I crumpled the whole thing up in my hands. Flattened out, then swiped the surface with a Distress pad (Vintage Photo) then blended with Tim Holtz's ink blending tool. Taupey-olive layer was adhered to the clip, then the matted image was adhered with dimensionals. Since I distressed the edges of the taupey-olive layer, the 'fit' of my clip pattern was much more forgiving than if I had left the edges plain and untouched. It looks like a perfect fit when in reality it was not such a neat job before I distressed the edges! :) Olive ribbon was tied into a bow around the clip, then the bow and tails were hit with a heat tool to shrivel the ribbon and give it that nice, vintage look! Thank you for stopping by! Lockhart Lavender image; Palette Noir Black, Distress Vintage Photo; white cardstock - Papertrey Ink, taupe/olive and lavender cardstock - Stampin' up; Target big clip; Copic markers; olive sheer ribbon; heat tool; Tim Holtz distresser; Tim Holtz ink blending tool.

joy of lavender

A window ornament features Karen Lockhart's lovely lavender bouquet. Image was stamped and colored, edges distressed & inked. A small strip of lavender cardstock was stamped with just the word 'lavender', trimmed with scissors, distressed & inked. The entire stamped image was outlined heavily with Copic marker BV31 to make the image 'pop'. Sandwich layered paper art between glass panes, tape and solder. More info on soldering in this post. For soldering inspiration, I recommend Pretty Little Things by Sally Jean Alexander. Glass treasure bottle was partially filled with dried lavender blossoms then capped with a cork featuring a handy screw eye. Swarovski crystals were strung on sterling silver wire, serving as a sparkling detail while connecting the glass vial to the soldered art piece. More sterling wire was constructed into a hanger and soldered into place. Sheer olive ribbon was tied into a bow around the bottle neck and the wire hanger unit, then zapped with a heat tool to create a vintage look. May the beautiful scent of lavender fields fill your world! Thank you for stopping by! Lavender image - Lockhart Stamp Company; Palette Noir and Distress Vintage Photo pads; Copic markers; white cardstock - Papertrey Ink, other cardstock - Memory Box Papers; glass bottle, ribbon, austrian crystals, sterling wire, Silvergleem solder; soldering tools, wire tools; heat tool.

cherries paperweight

Functional and sweet! 2-1/4" diameter, clear, flat-backed, glass discs were found online here. If you are going to create a bunch of these having a 2-1/4" circle punch on hand makes these stress-free. But you can always trim the cardstock and cork easily by hand. Assemble materials. I punched the cork sheet too (or, you could use felt). Color in stamped image with markers. I added a touch of glitter with Atyou glitter pens from Copic. The whole image is outlined in BV31 to make the image 'pop'. If you use water-based markers or stamping ink for this technique they will bleed. Copic markers are alcohol based. Dispense a layer of Glossy Accents or other similar adhesive onto the glass disc back and using your finger smear completely over back of glass disc and adhere stamped image. I use an old, plastic card (or an old credit card) to squeegie/swipe out any air bubbles between the glass disc and the piece of cardstock. Finish sealing cardstock edges to glass disc using your fingers, and keep a few baby wipes handy to periodically clean your fingers and the glass. Adhere cork to the back with Glossy Accents and presto ~ instant gift! These also make excellent giant magnets - Adhere four classic-style magnets (Michael's Craft Store). Lockhart Cherries; white cardstock - Papertrey's Stampers Select; Copic markers & glitter pens; paperweight kit; Glossy Accents - Ranger; cork sheet (Michael's Craft Store).

what a pair!

Two cards, same stamp and layout, different accessories & paper. Every time I pick up this sock stamp I hear in my head Phoebe Buffay singing the tune 'Smelly Cat' from the TV show Friends...I have no idea why the coorelation of that song and this stamp exists, but it does...I actually have to put the stamp back on its shelf for the song to go away - lol... I needed a card for my sister-in-law, whose home we invaded, I mean stayed with, during the recent holidays. The line, 'guests, like fish, start to stink' went through my head while thinking up a clever card to make for her. I saw this stamp, heard the song, and the card came next... :) I composed the card front verse and the interior sentiment in Microsoft Word. The template can be found here - the beauty of this template is one can print it onto cardstock, cut in half (two pieces - 8-1/2" x 5-1/2") and use the bottom portion as is for a card base! Interior sentiment is already in place for an A2 size card (4-1/4" x 5-1/2"), portrait layout. Cut the sentiment at the top out for the card front and use in the desired location. If there are leftovers, I always try to use a small piece of patterned paper inside the card to tie in the inside with the outside. Image was stamped then colored, pierced at the corners to mimic the diagonal pattern in the stamp image. Sock image was matted then mounted with dimensionals. Thank you for stopping by! card on left: Lockhart Warm Socks, 'sole mates' sentiment - A Muse; Palette pad in Noir Black; Copic markers; 7gypsies Karachi paper, corner nipper & olive cardstock (SU); piercer, awesome pad; piercing template - SU; dimensionals. card on right: Lockhart Warm Socks; Chatterbox paper, white Papertrey cardstock; Palette pad in Noir Black; Copic markers; olive ribbon; fish skeleton; brown linen thread; piercer, awesome pad; piercing template - SU; dimensionals.

Pear Pen

t!m Holtz outlines this tutorial in his book, distressables 2. Using strips of cardstock around toy block beads, then gluing into a stack and inserting a bic stick pen...viola! A clever gift you won't want to give away! Step 1: assemble materials.

Step 2: Stamp Lockhart Pear repeatedly on a piece of white cardstock.

Step 3: Color in some pears with the gold leafing pen, layer others with brown Copic markers.

Step 4: Continue coloring using the green Copic markers. Outline all pears in BV31 (pale lavender) to make them 'pop'. Step 5: Cut colored, stamped cardstock into 2-1/2" wide pieces by approx. 5/8". Fold around blocks, adhering with a strong adhesive, leaving drilled holes open. I used Crafter's Pick Ultimate! glue - it is a waterbased superglue. You could use Mod Podge or Elmers too. Ink all edges of covered blocks with a Distress pad. I alternated two Distress pad colors here (Antique Linen & Peeled Paint). Step 6: Adhere all covered blocks together with adhesive, aligning holes, and allow to dry. Use a pair of wire snips to carefully remove the ink barrel from the Bic Stic pen. Use the wire snips to remove the open end (about 1/4") of the barrel without ink. This will allow the pen to fit nicely into the altered block sheath.

Step 7: Cut a square of stamped, colored cardstock to approx. 5/8" square to cover the hole in the top of the pen and ink edges. Affix with glue.

Step 8: Stand pen upright and ink wood opening with Distress pad. Paint inside open hole with glue and insert pen barrel, pushing firmly into glue and allow to dry.

Step 9: Coat pen with a thin coating of MicroGlaze. MicroGlaze makes the entire pen (both wood and cardstock) waterproof, impervious to fingerprints and so forth! Find a spot for the pen to dry - the inside of a ribbon spool works great - once dry buff with a clean, soft cloth. I had a bit of leftover stamped & colored cardstock, so I created a card to match (see pic at top of this post). This pear image from Lockhart is one of my favorites. I created an oval mask from cardstock and used a Copic airbrush system to create the lime halo. Stamped image, colored with Copic markers. Gift and card? check! :) Thank you for stopping by!

Lockhart Pear image; white cardstock (Papertrey Ink); Archival Ink in Jet Black (Ranger), Distress ink pads in Antique Linen and Peeled Paint (Ranger); card uses Pears in bowl image from Lockhart, Memory Box card in Granny Smith, black cardstock (SU), Nestabilities dies, black brads, Copic airbrush system.