Happy Halloween Meeting

Hi and welcome! It is Monday and a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge is up, and this week anything goes.

I wanted to scrap some photos from last year's Halloween, about a happy meeting with Spider-Man. When Anton looked at these photos recently he was thinking it was a little strange that Spider-Man, who is a good guy, seemed to get very well along with the bad guys at this occasion, reasoning that he was probably keeping a check on them. For the background I used Tim Holtz Laboratorie paper and dressed it up with stamps. It might even be a little hard to see which images are stamps and which are part of the original paper. I like using stamp to change patterned paper.

 

I had fun using the new Halftone Halloween stamps, which are great for stamp layering. The shadow parts were stamped with Archival Ink Monarch Orange and the black parts with Jet Black, on Specialty stamping paper.  

The background paper had a spiderweb pattern so I stamped some spiders here and there to populate the web.

 

The title stamp is also from the Halftone Halloween set. Since the stamps are cling stamps with the image printed at the back, they are easy to align. Stamp the outline first and then the filler part.

 

This is another of the Halftone Halloween stamps.

 

I made a border of tissue tape and jute string and stamped the row of children just above it. The journaling is tucked behind the layout, something I do often since I tend to write a lot.

 

I love this owl stamp, and it isn't only for Halloween projects, it will work any time of the year.

 

Join us in our anything goes challenge and it might be you who wins a $50 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp, drawn randomly.

 

Thank you so much for stopping by here today!

 

Happy crafting!!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Ranger: Specialty Stamping Paper; Tim Holtz idea-ology: Laboratorie paper stash

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Halftone Halloween, Mini Halloween, Mini Halloween 3, Mini Halloween 4, Cracks & Specks 

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Monarch Orange, Jet Black; Distress Ink: Black Soot

Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology: Laboratorie Tissue Tape, Merriment Tissue Tape, Jute String, Seasonal Chit Chat stickers, Chit Chat stickers

Winter Moon Scene

Hello stampers! We are continuing our By the Silver Moon October challenge at Craft a Scene.

I made a blue-toned winter scene, which can also double as a Christmas card. All the stamping was done with Jet Black ink. I used a Colorbox Stylus Tool and various blue dye inks to colour the scene, making sure to leave some areas the white of the paper. The sky was stamped with a single stamp, masking out the moon on the subsequent impressions to fill the whole sky. Highlights were added with a white gel pen and mist and shine with white pigment ink.

Thank you for looking!

Happy stamping!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Stamps: Stampscapes: Eerie Moon 282F, Spiny Branches Sm. 331B, Snowy Covered Bridge 357F, Snowy Rocks 365A, Winter Bush 366C
Ink: Ranger Adirondack dye ink: Aqua, Stonewashed; Distress Ink: Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire; Archival Ink Jet Black; Colorbox Frost White
Surface: Kromecote glossy cardstock

White Paper Tutorial

Hello and welcome! I am happy to post another tutorial on Tim Holtz blog today, for the Tim Holtz Media team.

 

I decided to do something a little different in this tutorial, which is focused on paper surfaces, particularly Ranger's Manila cardstock, Specialty stamping paper, Gloss paper and Watercolor paper. I've loved paper ever since I can remember and few things carry as much possibilities as a white piece of paper. The paper we use also affect the outcome of many techniques, the same technique might have a different effect on a different paper.

I made a lot of Halloween tags, but if you use other stamps and colours, the techniques work for any topic.

To see the full tutorial, head over to Tim's blog.

Thank you for the visit!

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Halloween Lantern Tag Tutorial

Hello everyone! I am sharing a mixed media Halloween tag tutorial on the Sizzix blog today.

 

I used Tim Holtz new Hanging Lantern die together with Ranger's Texture Paste. As with most of my tutorials, the techniques works for lots of different types of projects.

 

To see the full tutorial, you have to head over to the Sizzix blog.

 

Thank you for stopping by today!

 

Happy crafting!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Spooky Stories Mini Book

Hello and welcome! A new week and a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. This week we are doing 'O is for...'.

 

My take on the challenge is to use Tim Holtz Odds & Ends stamp set, Ornamental die, Occasions Found Relatives and three o's in my title. My son loves to tell and hear various spooky and fun stories, where he is always the hero at the end. I thought I'd make a little book to collect those stories in. I find that it is often easier to remember writing things down, when you have a special place to write it in.

 

This is the back cover, where you can easier see how I made the covers. I stamped ticket stamps from Odds & Ends repeatedly on manila cardstock, which had first been coloured with Distress Ink and water. All the tickets were cut out, bent and folded and the edges distressed. I glued them to mat board with matte multi medium and die cut the covers using the Ornamental die. They have a great, almost leathery feel to them.

 

I cut out a boy from one of the Found Relatives Occasions cards and sanded and inked him a little. There is also a number brad, with Black Soot rubbed into the numbers. Behind the boy is a tree die cut from kraft-core with the Halloween Shadows die. 

 

Because the boy's feet don't show in the original photo, I wanted to cover that part up, so that it still looked like he had feet. I really wanted to use the new pumpkins from the Carved Halloween set, but they were too large. Instead, I stamped them on shrink plastic, shrunk them and painted them with Distress Paint at the back.

 

Another of the carved stamps, stamped on white paper. Behind the skull there is a piece of spider web, also die cut from kraft-core.

 

The title was die cut with the Wanted die.

 

Another little shrink plastic pumpkin.

 

I die cut the inside pages with the Ornamental die. First, I smeared Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs and Black Soot Distress Ink on my craft sheet, misted with water and pressed manila cardstock into the ink. Repeat on both sides.

 

The pages were stamped with various Halloween stamps, using both Jet Black ink and Pumice Stone. I didn't want to cover them completely since there has to be space for the writing.

 

More pages. All the edges were inked with Gathered Twigs.

It is fun to sit surrounded by stamps and just stamp away, without much of a plan. 

 

I hope you will join us in our O challenge, just as every week, one random participant is lucky to win a $50 gift voucher at Simon Says Stamp.

Thank you for stopping by today!!

 

Happy crafting!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Ranger: Manila Cardstock, Shrink Plastic; Tim Holtz Core'dinations Kraft-Core cardstock

Dies: Sizzix: Ornamental, Halloween Shadows, Cobwebs, Wanted Alphabet

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: Odds & Ends, Carved Halloween, Mini Halloween, Mini Halloween 3, Mini Halloween 4

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black; Distress Ink: Pumice Stone, Gathered Twigs, Antique Linen, Black Soot

Paint: Distress Paint: Spiced Marmalade, Peeled Paint

Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology: Found Relatives Occasions, Seasonal Chit Chat stickers, Number Brads

Changes Layout - CSI case file #143

Hello and welcome! I hope you had a good weekend. Today I am sharing my layout for CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration case file #143. Here's the case file and sketch:

 

 

 My layout:

I liked the sketch with the banners and the background divided into two blocks. From the evidence I used: mixed media, birds, circles book paper, gears and clouds. From the testimony I was inspired about journaling about something that has been very much on my mind lately. I will share it on the blog in a month or so. The background was coated with gesso and when dry, painted with Iced Spruce and a mix of Evergreen Bough and Peacock Feathers.

The birds were added by smearing Ranger's Texture Paste through a stencil by Dina Wakley. When the paste was dry, I painted it white. I die cut the clouds with a Simon Says Stamp exclusive die and added rub-ons to them.

 

The texture in the gesso gives a nice effect. Some of the paint was rubbed off from the background before it dried completely, by placing a Dina Wakley stencil on the background and rubbing with a moist cloth.

'Smile' is a very useful word to have as a die, this one is from a Sizzix set by KI Memories.

The little man was die cut with a new KI Memories die by Sizzix, and the balloons with a die set by Stephanie Barnard.

 

The banners were die cut with the an Echo Park Sizzix set, as well as the word die cut from this banner. I die cut the banners from a leftover piece of inky glossy cardstock.

 

I also used a word stencil by Dina Wakley, together with the Texture Paste.

 

Thank you so much for looking! I hope you will join us this week!

 

Happy crafting!

 

Anna-Karin

 

Supplies:

Surfaces: Daler & Rowney watercolour paper; Bazzill Antique 6 x 6 paper pad; Ranger Gloss Cardstock; Tim Holtz Core'dinations Kraft-Core and Color-Core Cardstock

Dies: Sizzix: You & Me, Documented, Rondeaux, Balloons; Simon Says Stamp: Chevron Clouds

Stamps: Stamper's Anonymous Tim Holtz: School Desk, Tiny Things

Ink: Ranger Archival Ink: Jet Black
Paint: Distress Paint: Iced Spruce, Evergreen Bough, Peacock Feathers, Picket Fence
Medium: Ranger: Texture Paste, Dina Wakley Gesso
Stencils: Ranger Dina Wakley: Tracks, Affirmations, Birds in Flight
Embellishments: Tim Holtz idea-ology: Botanicals Remnant Rubs, Life Quotes Remnant Rubs, Words Remnant Rubs, Elements Tissue Tape

Sizzix & Vintaj Bezel Jewelry Blog Hop

Hello and welcome to my tutorial for the Sizzix & Vintaj Bezel Jewelry Blog Hop! Don't miss all the inspiration during this great week long hop and there is also a great prize to be won. There will be a new project every day, this is day two. You can read more here.

 

I had such fun with these products and made three bezel pendants. It is easy and quick and a great gift, maybe for Christmas. Two of them were made with Ranger's Metal-Pressions sheets, and the one in the middle with one of my favourite papers from Tim Holtz. If you rather want to make embellishments for cards or scrapbooking pages, the techniques will work perfectly for that too.

 

These are some of the products that I used: Vintaj bezels, Sizzix/Vintaj Round Square and Eclectic Framelits dies which are designed to die cut shapes that fit the bezels perfectly (such a great idea!), Sizzix/Vintaj Deco Emboss folders, Ranger/Vintaj Patina Inks and Metal-pressions sheets. Let's start.

After you picked which bezel to use, locate the coordinating die and die cut from copper Metal-pressions. These dies are much easier to use together with the Magnetic Platform. Cutting Sandwich: magnetic platform, cutting pad, material to be die cut, die and second cutting pad.

Emboss in the Mod Trees Deco Emboss folder. You place the metal inside the folder and close the folder, also remember to check which side should face down.

Place two dots of Patina Ink on your craft sheet and paint the piece with a paint brush. Work quickly because the inks dry real fast. Wipe off most of the ink from the embossed areas and use a Vintaj Reliefing Block for the rest.

I made four tree panels using different inks. The first one was embossed in the Moonlit Night folder. I liked all of them, but ended up picking the one to the right. I'll use the others on a card.

The little owl was made in the same way, only using Silver Metal-Pressions and different Patina Inks.

Peal of the back paper from the metal pieces, they are self-adhesive, and carefully position in the bezels. As you can see, it is a perfect fit, something that would be tricky to do if you had to hand cut these pieces. If you want to, you can leave the pendants like this, maybe adding a protective layer of Ranger/Vintaj Glaze.

For the little bird, I die cut the oval, making sure to position it right where I wanted it. The smallest images on the Tim Holtz paper pads are perfect for this.

Here you see the two pieces and the die.

To prevent the UTEE from seeping into the paper, which makes the paper look a little transparent, I sealed it with a few coats of matte multi medium, on both sides. Let dry in between coats.

I decided to coat my pieces with clear Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE). This gives a great look to them, almost like vintage glass. A note of caution: be extremely careful when working with UTEE and the melting pot, because the UTEE gets very very hot. Never touch the UTEE.

 

Place a craft sheet into the melting pot, on the UTEE setting. Place the bezel on the craft sheet and carefully spoon small piles of UTEE into the bezel, until you have filled the whole bezel. Carefully lift the craft sheet out of the pot. The bezel and the UTEE will be very hot, leave to cool down completely before touching it.

I did the same thing with the owl.

For the bird, we will use the UTEE as an adhesive. Place the bezel in the pot and add a little bit of UTEE to it. When the UTEE has melted carefully place the bird oval into the UTEE, using a pair of tweezers. Again, be very careful not to touch the UTEE, bezel or the pot itself.

Continue adding UTEE to the top as explained before.

The little owl is so cute and if you make two, it would be a great pair of earrings.

I love trees, so it is no surprise that I made a tree pendant for myself. 

 

I used a Tim Holtz ball chain and jump ring to turn my bezels into necklaces. You could also add beads and charms to make a more complicated piece.

 

You could also use stamped images to make pendants.

It is such fun to make pendants that will fit the recipient perfectly.

 

Thank you so much for looking! I hope you enjoyed the tutorial. Don't miss all the inspiration that will be posted during the week, this is only the second day of the hop. Yesterday, Vivian posted a great tutorial.

 

Happy crafting!

 

Anna-Karin

Supplies:
Surfaces: Ranger/Vintaj Metal-pression: Copper, Silver; Tim Holtz idea-ology: Wallflower paper stash
Dies: Sizzix: Eclectic Bezels, Square Bezels, Round Bezels,
Embossing folders: Sizzix: Mod Trees, Moonlit Night
Ink: Ranger/Vintaj Patina Inks: Verigris, Clay, Onyx, Moss
Embossing powder: Ranger: Clear UTEE
Other: Vintaj Bezels: Rectangle, Oval, Bamboo Small; Tim Holtz idea-ology: Jump Rings, Ball Chain
Tools: Sizzix: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform; Ranger Melting Pot, Melt Art Project Craft Sheet; Vintaj Metal Reliefing Block