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!

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!

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.

inchies - as magnets

You've seen these inchies solo in this post back in November. I've adapted them for a practical purpose - magnets - the card can be sent, and the receiver can remove the inchies for their own use! For this card, I used a Memory Box card front, and adhered a piece of decorative script paper, edges distressed, inked with a Distress pad, and an eyelet. Don't throw away your boxes! I found this tiny corrugated cardboard by peeling apart the layers of a little box that was shipped to me. What a wonderful texture! I tore the edges, and inked the edges and surface with a Distress pad and adhered over the script paper.

I mounted the inchies onto chipboard, then adhered a ProMAG magnet to each back. ProMAG makes a magnet that is intensely strong, and is sold in packs of 4 at Michaels Craft Stores and other craft/hobby stores. They are about 1/4" thick. On the corrugated cardboard I adhered smaller magnets (Basic Grey) to keep the height of the inchies projecting away from the card down.

I would ship a card like this in an envelope, then place the card/envelope unit inside a bubble wrap shipping envelope. Thank you for stopping by!

Pear image - Lockhart Stamp Company, French script - A Country Welcome; Memory Box card/envelope in Moss; patterned script paper - 7gypsies 6x6 classic paperie pad, found corrugated cardboard; Distress pad in Antique Linen - Ranger; ProMAG magnets; Basic Grey magnetic snaps.

Hero Arts Gratitude

I received a complimentary copy of the Dec/Jan/Feb 2008 issue of Take Ten Christmas Eve! This card is in there somewhere - it was a design challenge and I used all Hero Arts stamps. Hero Arts has amazing collage stamp images. For this card, I used a Key Lime Memory Box card base that has a white inside. directions: stamped collage image with Archival Black ink (Ranger) onto Archangel (Basic Grey) patterned paper and again onto Key Lime card front. Stamped Play Print to card front with Archival Black ink. Trimmed stamped Archangel paper into diamonds & matted onto black cardstock. Applied Tattered Rose distress ink using DTP (direct to paper technique) onto a strip of Stamper's Select cardstock and stamped Dot Flourish on card front. Adhered diamonds to rose cardstock strip and attached silver brads. Adhered unit to card front. Wishing a Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones ~ ! Hero Arts Collage Gratitude, Play Print & Dot Flourish; Key Lime Memory Box card base, Basic Grey Archangel paper, Stamper's Select cardstock (Papertrey Ink), SU black cardstock; Archival pad in Jet Black (Ranger), Distress pad in Tattered Rose (Ranger); silver brads.

Primrose & Lavender pendant

I read somewhere that if you can use a hot glue gun you can solder. I can attest this is true. I have fond early childhood memories of my father, bent over a circuit board with a soldering iron in his hand. I remember the smell, and his arcane ability to mend and create. I treasure that. If you are just starting out soldering, I recommend Simple Soldered Jewelry & Accessories by Lisa Bluhm. This post will show shading using Copic markers, soldering and attaching jewelry components! Being able to incorporate soldering with rubber stamping and paper arts produces objects of affection for me. Here are the steps I took to create a simple pendant. Copic markers: 0 - colorless blender, R00 - pinkish white, R02 - flesh, R05 - salmon red, V17 - amethyst, BV04 - blue berry, BV31 - pale lavender, YG95 - pale olive, YG97 - spanish olive, E15 - dark suntan, Ranger foam blending tool, Lockhart Primrose and Lavender dress image; Palette pad in Noir, Distress pad in Antique Linen, paper distressing tool. The next 3 photos will show how to shade using Copic markers: Step 1: Stamp image with Palette Noir onto white (Papertrey Ink) cardstock. Cardstock piece measures just shy of 1" x 3", which is the measurement of the microscope slides I'll be using later. This particular Lockhart image is a breeze to color - I just dotted the lavender with BV04, and lined the stems with YG95. Colored in the Primrose with the very pale R00. Step 2: Take R02 and add near the base of the primrose. Step 3: Swipe YG97, R02 and E15 onto a CD or other non-porous item to serve as a palette. Use 0-colorless blender to pick up these colors and add a hint of the hue to the stamped image. This technique is done the same way one would use waterbased markers and a blender pen. Step 4: Stamped image complete. Blender pen and YG97 were used to fill in between the stems. E15 & blender pen were used on the hanger. Note the BV31 that outlines the whole image - making it pop. Step 5: Small scale patterned paper is a must - I used a sheet from 7gypsies Maison 6x6 paper pack - picked words I liked on the paper and trimmed from sheet, tore edges, used the paper distresser & inked with Antique Linen and a foam blending tool. Adhere to stamped image and ink edges too. When inking the edges, don't forget the copper tape will conceal the immediate edges, so when blending, blend inward quite a bit so it shows in the final piece. Step 6: Don't forget the back! Sign the (just shy of) 1" x 3" sheet of decorative paper and date. I inked the edges here too. Step 7: Gather your soldering items: soldering gun/iron, jumprings (I use soldered closed jumprings, sterling silver metal, from firemountaingems.com), 2 clamps, lead-free solder, waterbased flux, two 1x3 microscope glass slides and copper tape. With exception to the jumprings, these items are inexpensive and available at stained glass shops and at major home improvement stores. I use a very moist sponge to clean the soldering iron tip and as a barrier to prevent the tip from accidentally slipping through the holder and burning my worksurface. I used 1/4" wide copper tape for this project. You can use a wider tape if you prefer; it will simply cover up more of your art. For thicker glass I use a wider tape. Step 8: Using a cleaner (I'm a big Method fan) and a clean paper towel, clean the glass very well. Touch the glass sides minimally until the copper tape is on, and do not touch the glass surface. Sandwich the stamped artwork (front and back) between the two glass panes, and apply copper tape. Step 9: After copper tape is applied I burnish with my fingers. I do not use a bone folder, as I've cracked the glass doing it this way - I'm too rough and push too hard. Make sure the copper tape is well affixed to the glass slides. This is key, so the flux does not creep underneath, causing the tape to pull away. Step 10: Apply flux (I use a cotton swab) and set up the slide using the clamps to hold it upright. You'll need this setup to apply the jumprings. Step 11: Continue and finish soldering attaching jumprings (see step 12). When I first started soldering, I used the tinning technique - which means you pick up a bit of solder with the iron and 'paint' the solder along the flux-lined copper tape, touching the soldered-covered iron to the art piece. Tinning produces a very fine, thin line of solder. What I like to do now, to achieve the chunky look, is to hold the solder coil in one hand and the iron in the other, and form a 'bridge' of solder onto the art piece. The same 'bridge' can be achieved by getting a big chunk of solder on the iron and swipe the piece, but not letting the iron touch the piece - there will be a 'bridge' of solder between the iron and the piece. Not gonna lie here - it takes practice. But heck, it is FUN!! Step 12: When mounting the jumprings, remember the bottom jumpring should be applied like this one - facing you. The charms will lay better. The top jumpring, that houses the cording, chain, etc., should be the opposite of this - so the cord will lay flat. If this does not make sense look at the jumpring placement of the finished piece. Step 13: Wash your piece with Oxy Stop. It will stop the oxidation of the solder and generally clean your piece. I go over it with Method cleaner too, and wash my hands. Next step: jewelry! Step 14: This pendant incorporates simple jewelry-creating techniques. I learned these online and from books. Here is a good site for the simple wrapped loops I created here. If you are starting out, you'll be confronted with a ton of tools. All you really need is a pair of wire cutters, flat-nose pliers and round-nose pliers. Sure you can get the other fancy tools later but for starting out these are what I recommend. I used sterling silver headpins; all jewelry components and tools were purchased from http://www.firemountgems.com/. Finished pendant. I left the resolution high on these pics so you can see details. Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did creating it!! :)

Inchies

Inchie (/'inch-ē): a 1" x 1" square piece of medium (e.g. cardstock, chipboard, fabric, and so forth) embellished as desired; typically used to convey a concept, idea, feeling or sentiment. Working at a small scale is both challenging and fun. At first I figured Inchies would be pretty much restrictive. I mean, ONE INCH square??? How can I work with a canvas THAT small?? Well I gotta tell you - these are addictive and downright fun. I had a blast going through embellishments and gathering product that I could use on these tiny art forms. And I was shocked at how many embellishments and product one can use on a little 1" x 1" square of cardstock. 6x6 or 8x8 pads of designer paper are perfect for Inchies - because the scale of the 12x12 paper has been scaled down. Artist should initial somewhere on the front of your Inchie; use them in groupings, solo (mount on chipboard & hot glue a tack on the back), create into magnets, or frame them as I did here with other elements. I heard about Inchies from Ellen Hutson - here is her post for more information about these one-inch-wonders. Ellen is giving away a limited number of free Inchie art pieces by Karen Lockhart with purchase - please see her site for details. Plus, Lockhart Stamp Company just released new images..... Any notes from this point on are details/product list on what I used on these - thank you for stopping by! Inchie photo top, L-R: All cardstock used from PaperTrey Ink (PTI); pear image is from Lockhart. top left Inchie: 'P' is from PTI; stamped in Adirondack Espresso, outlined in Micron brown .5mm pen; colored with Copic markers; DPT (direct to paper technique) used with Distress Peeled Paint. bottom left Inchie: 7gypsies Requiem Quad paper; Ranger Crackle Paint in Peeled Paint; small French script - A Country Welcome (www.addictedtorubberstamps.com); stamped with Archival Coffee pad & DTP with Distress Vintage Photo. top right Inchie: Ranger Crackle Paint in Shabby Shutters; Distress Peeled Paint & Antique Linen; vintage gold brad (Stampin Up); Copic markers. bottom right Inchie: Archival Coffee pad; Distress Peeled Paint; Copic markers. Framed Inchies: Pear image - Lockhart; small French script - A Country Welcome (www.addictedtorubberstamps.com); black cardstock - Stampin up; cardstock squares - Papertrey Ink; small jewelry tag - www.staples.com; red script paper - 7gypsies 6x6 classic paper pad; 1/8" May Arts stitched olive ribbon; celery bauble; lower case 'p': 7gypsies Sketchie rub ons; miniature key: 7gypsies; all tags were aged DPT with Distress Vintage Photo and/or Antique Linen pads.

Halloween portrait

This frame sits on a table in my foyer; I enjoy creating a collage periodically, changing it about every four months or so. The 7gypsies papers that arrived a while ago really gave me the urge to create another collage, and this was the result. The underlying element, or self-imposed rule for the collage piece in the foyer is it must have a fleur-de-lis in it somewhere. I simply love this symbol. To create a collage, I start with a foundation paper in the dimensions of the finished piece, then commence tearing an assortment of patterned papers that complement each other. Distress edges, inking with Distress Ink (Ranger) color of choice. 7gypsies papers, Papertrey Ink stamp (spider & sentiment); Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous (large skull & flourish); Palette Silky Obsidian pad, Ranger Archival Jet Black pad, Ranger Distress pads in Vintage Photo & Antique Linen, Fleur-de-lis & 3/4" round paper punches; antique brass large eyelet, lace (tea-dyed), Stampin' Up ribbon, black Magic Mesh, black brads.