from my ink pad to yours

Simple Doodle Posie

During our Chamber Showcase last Saturday, I played with my recently acquired Doodle This set , some cereal box stencils and markers.  I made a copy paper stencil to match the cereal box stencil to use as a mask for stamping.  I hadn't intended to do any sponging when I packed my stamping box, so I applied the Old Olive color by scribbling my marker on the stamp box cover and applying it with a tissue.  It may be hard to see but the square is both dry embossed and "sponged".

Stamps: Doodle This, Wonderful Words
Inks: Black Stazon, assorted markers
Cardstock: Cream Confetti
Accessories: Cereal Box Stencil - explained here, stylus

Chocolate Posie

This paper reminds me a little of a 1970's kitchen.  I stamped and watercolored the Doodle This flower the other night but it seemed like it needed something more since I had only used brown shades.  It's hard to see but I added some beads on the circles on the petals and rolled over the whole piece with the jumbo wheel, Rough Texture. 

Stamps: Doodle This, Rough Texture, Just So Sayings
Ink: Timber Brown Stazon, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa
Papers: Ivory Naturals, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Au Chocolat
Accessories: Earth beads, Crystal Effects (to attach beads), Aqua Painter, Ribbon - Micheals wooden spools - I'm temporarily out of the Seaside Ribbon originals dotted brown.  2 yds just isn't enough of that one!

The winner is...

DD #1 chose "3"; DD #2 chose "7" so 37 is the lucky number! (Sorry it took so long to post the winner.  It's Spring break and I had to wait for them to get up, get haircuts etc...)

The Blog Chocolate winner is ...Amber H

I'm not the person to tell you to cut them up as I have a hard time cutting into any designer paper! As for chocolate.. Peanut M&M's.   Posted by: Amber H. | March 24, 2007 at 11:59 AM

 

Amber, please email me with your address so I can send your chocolate off to you!

15004

I'm closing off entries for blog chocolate as my counter is now at 15004.  Thank you for all of your wonderful comments about Au Chocolate,  your favorite chocolate(s) and my blog.  I loved reading them - and really had to control myself in the candy aisle yesterday!

I cut the Au Chocolat!

It's cut! Someone asked how I cut it.  I cut to a 4' wide and 8" wide piece or 4 1/4"  and 7 3/4" pieces.  Think about how you are more likely to use it.  Another option is 6 an6, again depending upon your use.

I also put some scraps from the Coffee with Cream Challenge into a cello bag to store with the Au Chocolate so that they'll be handy.  I wish I could have psoted a card I made with these but it's a busy, crazy (but fun!) weekend.  I will post some cards with my new Doodle That and Au Chocolat soon, I promise.  There's still a little time to post a comment to win some chocolate of your own.  See Friday's post.

Blog Chocolate

Now that I've posted my Coffee with Cream cards, look what came today! These Au Chocolate papers are even better in person than in a photo or the mini catalog.  I wish I could play with them tonight but I'm busy putting together some last minute things for a Chamber of Commerce Showcase I'm participating in tomorrow. I SO want to play with them...

The question is: Should I cut them up or not?  Last week I cut off a 4 1/4" strip from my other papers so that I could fit them all in 8.5 x 11" page protectors in a binder.  I never use whole sheets and I still have 12" long strips for scrapbooking.  It seems easier to dig in and use them once they are already cut, plus I have them handy in the binder to inspire my stamping rather than sitting in a pile on my counter.

So should I cut them or not? ... how about if I cut them up and send some of the paper out as blog candy????

Leave me a comment about your favorite form of chocolate and I will send out some blog candy (paper & ribbon chocolate plus REAL chocolate) once I hit 15,000 hits - which should be in the next few days.  I'll post once I see my counter hit 15000 so don't delay.

Coffee and Cream

This last Monday's Splitcoaststampers'  Technique Lovers Challenge was Coffee with Cream. I know it's Thursday already but these two cards have been morphing while sitting on my counter for the last few days.

As you can see I've been getting into my Cuttlebug, a "birthday gift" from last month.  It's a very big wish but wouldn't it be something if Stampin' Up! would start offering Stampin' Up style embossing folders to use with this nifty tool?

But, the Cuttlebug doesn't provide the only texture in these cards.  I made the 1/2 inch grid texture beneath the horse layer using a bone folder and my Fiskars 12 inch cutter. - I took pictures in order to show how this is done but, since I was using the Chocolate Chip cardstock for these cards the photo didn't show the technique well.  I try again later with lighter colors and put them in a later post.  The spiral punch finishes off the grid layer. The lower layers: Happy Birthday piece has Vanilla Craft ink DTP'd.  The right sided layer is stamped with Canvas in Very Vanilla craft ink and small solid horses from Bareback in Chocolate Chip.  The ribbon between the 2 lower sides is from Seaside.

Finally, I went back and added a torn Chocolate Chip layer on the left side of the card. I don't think I've ever layered a card quite this way before.  Does it work???

PS.  I stamped a birthday message on the inside with a faded (4th generation of Chocolate Chip)  image of the solid horses.

This 2nd card sat on my desk the longest. In fact I've already changed it again since I took the picture.  I added more Seaside dotted brown ribbon on either side of the Paisley Border.  BTW, I colored over the white dots on the ribbon for both card with my Creamy Caramel Marker.

I started by using Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocal markers to ink the flowers  and leaves from All the Best.  I trimmed these and played around a little with them.  Since they needed a base and I had cuttlebugged and stamped a few pieces of Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip cardstock I worked up the base layers (grid + Paisley Printwith sponged edges + Cuttlebug,  all over a slightly larger Close to Cocoa layer, on the 4 3/8 x 6 5/8" Ivory Naturals card - sized to fit large envelopes. 

I remembered seeing a beautiful card on Splitcoast by Lauraly.  She had a That's Nice message stamped in vanilla on Chocolate Chip and that color seemed a natural with the stamp so I tried the color combination in reverse for a base for my flowers.  I added a few flowers punched with the Spring Bouquet punch to fill in around the larger cut out flowers. 

Make and Take

This is a rather quick card that we did the Monday when I had my Open Stamping,  a night I offer for customers to get extra help or just time to check out my samples at a more leisurely pace.  The background is super easy.  It's just a 5 1/4 x 4" rectangle of double- sided designer paper, in this case, Petals and Paisley.  For this card I cut off 1 1/2" ( though the actual measurement isn't that fussy as long as it is a straight cut) and flipped one side over.  We used markers to ink the stamps, Polka Dots and Paisley, and learned how to get several shades from one inking - on the word "happy".  A 1/4" punch is used for the three dots - leading to the word birthday (It's Your Birthday), which is stamped on the inside. Another "2nd generation" (ie stamped a 2nd time without reinking) image of the flower is stamped over the inside greeting.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Tied Circles Tutorial #2

This is very similar in concept to the first tied circles  tutorial I posted a few months ago but I've adjusted the measurements to match my more recent cards which are linked below.  Basically I score a line on my template to line up prepunched circles and them punch them again on my template.  If you want more details, read on:

I start by making a template:

1) Take a 5 1/4 x 4" piece of  cardstock  and score a line a 1/2"  in from the edge on the  5 1/2 inch side.  Make another score line at 2 5/8" coming in from the 5 1/4" side that you made the first scoring line.  I've penciled in some score lines - the short vertical lines on the sides aren't necessary - the circles are too big to center on these lines.

2) Punch out 3 - 1 3/8" circles from another piece of scrap cardstock.

3) Attach these to the first piece spacing them so that the middle circle lines up with the edge of the first score line and so that the middle of the circle appears to line up with the second score line.  Line the outer circles up evenly along the score line and punch all of them out again.  I just eyeball the second two but you could try to measure it out.

4) Now you have a template to place over another 5 1/4 X 4" piece of cardstock to punch evenly spaced circles. .

To finish:

5) Punch out your smaller 1 1/4" circles and attach inside the larger circles OR stamp directly within the larger, punched circles after  completing step 6.

6) Layer this piece onto a5 1/2 x 4 1/4" card and finish as desired.  If you are tying ribbons it is easiest to tie them before you attach the circle layer to your card.

You can  change the measurements to fit your project.

Relevant samples from previous posts and my Splitcoast Gallery:

Tied Posies

Seashore Circles

Love ...You

Red Say's It Better

Friendship Flowers

Blushing Mon Amie

Hope this all makes sense. Please let me know if you do a card in this style.  I'll add a link to it in this tutorial.

Tied Posies

I confess. I gave into the flowers.  This one has been percolating for a while and since I had my circle template handy...well, what's a stamper to do?

I started this knowing I would use the tied circles template and this stamp from Doodle That.  Since I really like to use gingham when I do this card, the next decision was which color of gingham.  I ruled out red - I've been smearing everything I touch lately with that color.  I've already done pink - so moss won.  The flowers are colored with Regal Rose, Bashful Blue and So Saffron.  This is the first time I've done a message strip with this circle template, but then you've seen me do plenty of those with this alphabet.  That's kind of like my comfort zone with these letters. 

Stamps: Aida Cloth (on moss), Doodle Alphabet, Doodle That
Paper: Whisper White, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Ink:  Timber Brown Stazon, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue and So Saffron
Accessories: Gingham Ribbon, Cutter Kit, 1 3/8" punch, whitegel pen