The treasure: CSI case file #19

Sorry for not having posted this yesterday, we had a busy weekend. Here’s this week’s CSI:Color, Stories, Inspiration case file, a gorgeous one:

I loved the white background and the rosette flowers so I used that as my main inspiration. Of the evidence items I used: rosettes, book papers, circles, birds, multiple small patterns. From the testimony items: make a little booklet for the journaling (I made a matchbook).  My page is a double-pager:

I made a whole bunch of rosette flowers from different patterned papers. The flower centres were die-cut from text papers to fit with the old newspaper in the photos. I wanted a mainly white, but textured background. 12 pieces of white cardstock were first stamped with a script stamp using yellow ink, here and there. Then they were embossed with different embossing folders, the edges were distressed and inked blue and a bit of blue ink was applied here and there on the embossing. I used a grey cardstock as base and white embossed a stripe stamp at the top.

The newspaper bird was stamped with French Ultramarine Archival ink and the other bird was inked with Distress Markers and stamped on Speciality Stamping Paper.

I really like the texture of the embossed white cardstock.

I coated the centres of the rosettes with Crackle Accents.

The title was white embossed on woodgrain paper, using this new great open alphabet set from The Stamps of Life. I have been looking for such a set for a while.

For the journaling, I made a matchbook using double-sided patterned papers and the new Matchbook die. Loved that the ‘return to sender’ hand ended up at the base of the matchbook. I embellished it with a die cut stamped with a text stamp, the word ‘treasure’ and a definition of the same word cut from an old dictionary.

The journaling is written on five pages inside the matchbook. The layout is about a shoebox I happened to spot in my parent’s garage. Something felt very familiar with it and when I opened it I discovered that it was a box I had packed as a child when we moved. Somehow it had gotten misplaced and been waiting all these years on a shelf in the garage. It was pretty cool to open it, I recognised every single item in it and had carefully wrapped all of them in newspapers (which was also fun to read). Like finding a treasure from the past, more than 20 years later.

Two more close-ups:

Thank you for looking!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Hero Arts: Newsprint Bird H5580, Newspaper Background S5601; The Stamps of Life Outline4Letter; Tim Holts Stamper’s Anonymous bird and stripes stamps; Sizzix: Matchbook Set die, Mini Paper Rosettes Sizzlits, Fancy Labels set, Mini Flourish, Clocks & Print Blocks set, Springtime Background, Bubble & Honeycomb set, Harlequin & Stripes set, Woodgrain, Rays & Retro Circles texture fade, Checkerboard texture fade; Making Memories, Scenic Route, 7Gypsies, Kaisercraft, MME patterned papers; Distress ink: Faded Jeans, Scattered Straw, Tumbled Glass; Ranger Archival Ink: French Ultramarine, Chrome Yellow; Ranger Crackle Accents.

Card Patterns #165: Beauty in Nature

Today it is stash week at Card Patterns and I felt like doing a piece of scenic stamping. Here’s the great sketch by Michelle:

 Lots of possibilities with this sketch.

I am very impressed by how well the Distress Markers stamp on the Specialty Stamping paper, when doing the direct to rubber technique. I wanted to try it with my scenic stamps. It turned out really well, I particularly like the multi-green colour of the trees. The main stamp was inked with three shades of green (Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Pine Needles), shades of brown (Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap) and a bit of Pumice Stone for the stones. I huffed on it and then stamped it. The canoe stamp was inked with Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain marker.

The Speciality Stamping paper is a matte coated paper and because it is coated images stamped with dye inks don’t smear when you apply more ink on top, just as with glossy cardstock, which is also coated. With ordinary cardstock, the stamped scene would smear a bit when ink was sponged on top. I used a Colorbox Stylus tool to apply the ink, starting with the lighest shade and building up colour. Aqua, Stonewashed, Denim for the sky and water and brown shades for the cabin and canoe. The water pattern was stamped with Stonewashed, the grass with Forest Moss and the birds with Faded Jeans. Highlights were added with a white gel pen.

The two background cardstock pieces are kraft core cardstock, embossed, sanded and inked.

The branch was a left over from another project and is grungeboard that has been embossed with Distress embossing powder. The bird was also in my box of scraps (kraft core coated with Distress Stickles).

Thank you for visiting! I hope you can play along with us this week, remember to check out the cards of the rest of the DT on the Card Patterns blog. You can win a guest designer spot.

I will post my CSI layout tomorrow, I still need to edit the photos and write the text and it is getting a bit late here now.

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Stampscapes: Canoe 011B, Ducks in Formation 027A, Reeds 067B, Lakeside Cabin 147F, sentiment; Sizzix: Branch Tree, Tattered Banners, Mini Bird & Birdcage, Rays, and Bubble texture fades; Distress Markers: Peeled Paint, Forest Moss, Pine Needles, Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Frayed Burlap, Scattered Straw, Pumice Stone; Distress Inks: Forest Moss, Vintage Photo, Walnut Stain, Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Faded Jeans; Adirondack ink: Aqua, Stonewashed, Denim; Ranger Specialty Stamping Paper; Ranger manila cardstock; Core’dinations Tim Holtz craft core cardstock; Distress Embossing Powder Vintage Photo; Distress Stickles Rock Candy.

Life card

Here’s a card I made with some scraps from yesterday's minialbum. It is for Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to use a favorite stamp (again the Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz woodgrain stamp).

I had first planned to use this bird on yesterday's album cover, but it looked too big there, so I decided to use it on a card instead. The background is manila cardstock, coloured with Distress Stain (Antique Linen and Pumice Stone) and then stamped with the woodgrain stamp using Pumice Stone ink. The hearts, lace and branches were die cut from kraft core cardstock, sanded and then coated with Distress Stickles Rock Candy. For the cardbase I used another piece of kraft core and embossed and sanded it.

The bird was die cut from grungeboard and painted with paint dabbers (Aqua, Pool, Malted Milk and brown). Then it was coated with Crackle Accents. I added the eye with a permanent pen before coating with the crackle accents.

I stamped the sentiment on a piece of mica and tore around it. I love mica, especially this one, which is a bit darker and has more irregularities than most mica.

Thank you for looking!!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz stamps: Wallpaper and Wood, Attic Treasures; Sizzix: Caged Bird Bigz, Vintage Lace Sizzlits, Hearts Set Movers & Shapers, Autumn Gatherings Sizzlits, Honeycomb texture fade; Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone; Distress Ink: Pumice Stone, Frayed Burlap; Distress Stickles Rock Candy; Ranger Crackle Accents; Core’dinations Tim Holtz kraft core cardstock; grungeboard; cheesecloth; mini stapler; US ArtQuest mica.

Find Birds Minibook tutorial

Hi everyone! Today I have a little tutorial for a minibook to share. It’s also an example of how you can use many dies for other things than they were intended to. The minibook is for Simon Says Stamp and Show challenge to use a favorite stamp (this awesome new Tim Holtz woodgrain stamp) and for a National Scrapbooking Day challenge to do layering with a negative die cut shape.

I looked at the Caddy Bag Scoreboards die and thought that a part of it would work really well as the base for a minibook. It’s a nice shape and it has a hole where you can tie a ribbon to close the book.

I cut ten 8 by 8 cm pieces of manila cardstock and coloured all of them, back and front, with Distress Stains in three different combos (Pumice Stone and Antique Linen, Weathered Wood and Antique Linen, Scattered Straw and Antique linen). I also coloured enough paper for the covers (four pieces). After they were dry, I stamped all the papers with different background stamps using Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood and Scattered Straw. The outside covers were stamped with the woodgrain stamp. I left the papers for the inside covers unstamped for now. Ink all the edges with Frayed Burlap (I did that step after taking the photo).

Glue the woodgrain papers to two pieces matboard (I used multi-medium). Glue the inside to the one matboard only and attach the other inside paper temporarily to the matboard (I’ll explain why in a bit). Die-cut.

Using the base tray, die cut a mini heart from the cover – planning the placement carefully so that it works well with the photo you place behind it. Keep the heart for another project.

For the window I used a piece of mica. The birds were heat embossed on the mica to add another layer.

Sandwich the mica between the inside paper and the cover – that’s why we only adhered the inside paper temporarily to the cover earlier. I used multi-medium to attach both the mica and the paper.

Punch holes in the covers and in all the inside paper, I used my crop-a-dile. The cover was embellished with a negative strip and two metallic embellishments. I rubbed cream paint onto both first . The ribbon was dyed with Weathered Wood Distress Stain.

After rubbing paint on the bird, it was inked with Frayed Burlap and embossed with clear powder. Be careful, it gets hot.

The letters were cut from kraft core cardstock, sanded and then coated with Glossy Accents (I forgot to glue the dot on the ‘i’ in place before taking the photos).

I printed the journaling on strips, it’s about our visit to a bird garden. Quotes were stamped on the insides of both covers and then the covers were stamped with a background stamp.

The inside of the minibook was decorated quite simply, using branches and hearts die cut from kraft core paper and coated with Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Vintage Lace die cuts, and some hearts and birds die cut from mica. I am only posting some of the inside pages, otherwise this post becomes very long.

The last page and the inside back cover (love that sentiment).

Tie a lace ribbon to close the album and use rings to bind it.

Thank you for looking!!

Anna-Karin


Supplies: Stamper’s Anonymous Tim Holtz stamps: Ultimate Grunge, Words for Thought, Mini Ornates, Wallpaper and Wood, Life Adventure, Odds and Ends, Mixed Media, Attic Treasures, Psychedelic Grunge; Sizzix: Caddy Bag Scoreboards die, Alphabetical Sizzlits, Mini Hearts Movers & Shapers; Hearts Set Movers & Shapers, Mini Bird and Birdcage Movers & Shapers; Vintage Lace Sizzlits,  Mini Arrow, matboard; Distress Stain: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Scattered Straw; Distress Ink: Antique Linen, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood, Scattered Straw, Frayed Burlap; Distress Stickles Rock Candy; Ranger manila cardstock and Studio multi-medium; Versafine Onyx Black; Core’dinations Ranger kraft core cardstock; US ArtQuest mica; Hero Arts string; Ranger Seafoam White embossing powder; Tim Holtz metallic embellishments and negative strip; mini stapler.

Dry Embossed Rose tutorial

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing another tutorial on the Sizzix blog, this time I decided to do a dry embossing tutorial. Since it is Mother's Day in a large part of the world next week, I thought I would make some cards that would fit well for Mother's Day. I used a fun technique combining dry and heat embossing, gradually building up colour. These are the cards:

I used a pretty Roses embossing folder. Sometimes I struggle to use 'non-background' folders, which is why I wanted to play around with it. And:

I did two versions of the technique, using both sides of the embossing folder, as well as a bonus card (a second version of the first card, which I happened to like a bit better).

If you want to see step-by-step photos and instructions for these cards, you can find them here, on the Sizzix blog.

I hope you like it!

Have a great day!

Anna-Karin

Card Patterns Sketch #164

Back again with my card for Card Patterns sketch #164. This week we are sponsored by Prickley Pear stamps. I hope you can play along with us! Here’s the fun sketch:

And my card:

I used the sweet Sm. Vase with Heart stamp and coloured it on the rubber with my new Distress markers. It was stamped on Ranger’s Speciality Stamping paper, love the matte surface and the great impression I got of the stamp. The green background paper, is the same paper, inked with Bundled Sage and splattered with water. Two of the ribbon flowers were dyed to match the colours of the card. 

A close-up of the stamping:

Thank you for stopping by!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Prickley Pear stamps: Sm. Vase with Heart; Distress markers: Stormy Sky, Vintage Photo, Scattered Straw, Bundled Sage, Worn Lipstick; Distress ink: Scattered Straw, Bundled Sage: Sizzix Circle Framelits die; Ranger Speciality Stamping Paper; MME Fiddlesticks patterned paper: cheesecloth; Tim Holtz rose ribbon; lace; Creative Cafe rub-on.

Nature: CSI case file #18

Hi everyone! Sorry that it's been quiet on the blog the past days. This week the CSI:Color, Stories, Inspiration case file has two shades of orange and two shades of green, some of my favorite colours. Here it is:

From the evidence I used: oversized flowers, bloomers, tissue paper, leaves, bling. From the testimony items: journal on flower stems.

The inspiration photo immediately made me want to do tissue paper flowers. I coloured printed tissue paper with two shades of orange Distress Stain (Wild Honey and Rusty Hinge). When dry, I cut lots of differently sized circles, crumbled them up, folded them a bit and layered them with a stitched button in the centre. The stems were cut from cardstock coloured with Peeled Paint Distress Stain and had to be a bit too thick to fit my journaling. The leaves were cut from paper which was coloured with Peeled Paint and then misted with Peeled Paint reinker and green Perfect Pearls. I also stamped them with a alphabet stamp (a smaller version of the stencil used for the background).

Gesso was applied to the background through a new Dylusions alphabet stencil. When it was dry, I misted and splattered the background with a mix of Peeled Paint reinker, green patina Perfect Pearls and water. I also stamped some grass at the bottom and two birds at the top, to make a little garden for the flowers.

The photo was layered on cheesecloth and dry embossed vellum. On the flower stems, I wrote some of my favourite quotes about nature. I don’t love my handwriting, but decided to use it instead of the computer on this layout. The quotes read (you can also find these as Stampscapes sentiments stamps):

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. - John Muir

To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. – Albert Einstein.

Some close-ups:

Thank you for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Anna-Karin

Supplies: Ranger Dylusions stamps Birds on a Wire, Basic Backgrounds and Letter Jumble stencil; Stampscapes: Prickly Branches 272G, Reeds Lg 068D; Sizzix Circle Framelits, Mini Tattered Leaves, Rays embossing folder; Archival Ink Olive; Distress Stain: Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint; Peeled Paint reinker; Green Patina Perfect Pearls; Tim Holtz tissue wrap terminology and music; Tim Holtz flower ribbon; cheese cloth; vellum, BasicGrey Basics paper; Kaisercraft rhinestones; buttons.