Glazed Tile Technique: Stamp School!

Hi friends! This technique is so fun and useful! You can use it to make card and scrapbook embellishments or make full backgrounds with it! You can even use it to make doll house miniatures (Time to craft with your kids huh?)

All you need for this are cardstock, stamps, ink, embossing powder and a heat tool. Watch the video to see how!

This video is sponsored by Rubber Stamp Tapestry!  Use coupon code: LINDSAY17 – 20% off peg stamps and peg stamp sets on orders of $10 or more. Coupon expires July 3, 2017

Supplies:

• Peg stamp sets: Wisteria Frame, Petit Poppies, Summer’s End, Embellished Wreath, Sunny Daisy, Retro Sundress
• Unmounted stamp set Uplifting Sentiments
• Dye ink
• Ink blending brush
• Embossing ink pad
• Make up sponge (if you are worried about messing up your embossing ink pad)
• White and kraft cardstock
• Patterned paper (Authentique)
• Ribbon
• Buttons
• Foam Tape
• Double sided tape
• Wet (tacky) glue
• Clear ultra thick embossing enamel * or several coats of regular clear embossing powder 
• Heat tool
• Stencil (Patti Tolley Parrish at istencil)
• Masking tape
• Spray ink (optional)
• large crackled roller stamp (optional)

Directions:
1. Tape stencil to paper and stamp in the holes of the stencil with dye ink and peg stamps.

2. Brush ink over stencil.

3. Wipe stencil clean then press embossing ink over design. Remove stencil, sprinkle with embossing powder and heat. Repeat this step until all the tiles are raised and shiny.

4. Spray panel with ink and swipe ink in the grout area with your fingertips. Trim panel and attach to card base. Embellish as desired.

Remember you can also cut the shapes apart and use them as decorations! Thanks for spending part of your day with me today and til next time happy crafting!

Stamp School: Inky Backgrounds & Silhouette Stamps!

Hi friends!Today we are going to play with inks and make some fun cards!

Don’t be shy, try these fun and inky techniques! Jut make sure to put a craft mat, piece of freezer paper or old plastic place-mat on your table to work on. It is a lot of fun! Watch the video to see how!

There are many supplies you can use to create similar works of art so don’t be shy, experiment with what you have! I am using supplies from Gina K Designs where they have free shipping on USA orders over $50 and reasonable international rates.

Supplies:

• White cardstock (or any heavy white paper like Bristol or hot press watercolor paper.)
• Dye based ink (I like the cube ink sets)
• White Pigment ink (or you could use white watercolor or gouache)
• Stamps: Dream Catcher, Country Roads 2, Hello Friend
• Cosmetic sponge or ink dauber
• Watercolor brush
• Stencils
• Colored cardstock or premade card bases
• Craft mat or other non-porous surface (like a plastic placemat) to work on

Directions:
1. Apply ink to cardstock directly with an inkpad. Apply ink to a craft mat, spray with water and soak up the ink with the cardstock. Flick watered-down ink on the card. Repeat until you like the way it looks and let dry.

2. If desired stencil a design on top with ink.

3. Stamp silhouette images over background panels using black ink. Ink edges of panel in black and adhere to card base.

The cards I made were 4 1/4″x 5 1/2″ (A2) and the small panels were 2 1/2″x3 1/2″ (atc size) and the farm panel was 4″x5 1/4″

*Please note, Affiliate links are used to Gina K Designs and I receive a small commission on the sale without costing you a penny more. It helps keep my videos on YouTube free and I thank you for your support and til next time happy crafting!

Super fun (quick) backgrounds!

Hi friends! Just a quick post tonight because I have a headache and can’t bear to look at a screen for another moment, I don’t often get headaches but this is a doozy! I was playing with my new Ken Oliver Color Burst powders that I got at the heirloom show last weekend (BTW Rubbernecker has them discounted until 6/24 if you want some) and a new stencil and made 2 backgrounds by using the stencil 2 ways, have a look at today’s video!

Video!

The Color Burst powders are very similar to the Brusho but the vendors at the stamp show said they could not get the Brusho powders to sell. I have to say I enjoy the applicator bottles the Color Bursts come in (much better application compared to poking a hole in the cap of Brusho) but if you already have Brusho use that:) I did a review and first impression of Brusho here of you want to check it out. I got some great DIY ideas from viewers on my YouTube channel that you also might want to try if you have no watercolor powders.

Color Power Alternatives:

• Kool Aid powdered drink mix, just beware it contains citric acid so do not use it on scrapbook pages, it’s acidic.
• Fabric powdered dye- I tried this, the finer tie-die kit powder works, RIT looks lame
• Powdered tempera, I have not tried it but great idea to those who suggested it
• Shaving other media like Inktense, pastels and watercolor pencils/crayons (not as intense as the powders)

Let me know if you have any other suggestions or if you have a powder preference, there is also a brand called “Bister” I think but I have not tried it, if you have let me know what you think. I think it is a nice artsy fling and I am such a watercolor floozy! Now, off to put a cold wash-cloth on my head! Happy crafting!

A Limited Supply {artsy} Scrapbook Page!

Hi Friends! Today we will make a scrapbook page! You only need watercolor crayons, white cardstock or hot press watercolor paper, stamps (Bugz set and background) and a journal stencil. The stencil and stamps are from Lost Coast Designs. You will also want a black pen and colored pencils if desired. You can make this an art journal page too if you like but if you are making a scrapbook page you will also need photos and adhesive!

Watch how easy it is to make this!

The video is a bit long, I almost feel compelled to apologize for it but I have had so many people tell me how much they enjoy the longer videos because it feels like they are crafting with a friend. Awww, thanks guys:) That makes me so happy! I guess it is nice to have a mix of both:) I hope you try some artsy limited supply scrapbook or journal pages. You will be surprised at what you can do with just a few things! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Deli Paper Washi Tape!

Here is another great use for deli paper! Homemade washi tape. Watch the video to see how I made it:

So grab your stamps, stencils (the star stencils I used were from Oriental Trading Co.), paint and imagination and make some unique tape today! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

And now for something completey different…

Howdy friends, just a reminder if you haven’t entered into the Year of the Horse stamp set giveaway yet be sure you do on last Friday’s post because I will draw a winner tomorrow! Now let’s stain some wood! Here is a fun technique I discovered (OK , who knows, someone else might have thought of it already LOL!) that I call resist staining!

The embossing powder method works best on smooth wood, rough wood likes to catch all of the granules making it less defined. If you are using rough wood like a plywood that cannot be sanded smooth you can stipple on wood glue, let it dry and stain/wipe like i did in the video. I hope you try this technique sometime! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

WOYWW: An Inky Week!

I have been having so much fun in my studio this week! From making my cheap homemade version of Goosebumps  spray (Recipe here) to playing with ink and cheap kids stencil brushes:

Yep, I got a 15 pack of stencil brushes at Micheals with a coupon for $5 and I went to town, you can see them in the soup can on my desk along with my big ink sweeper, distress ink pads, random backgrounds over-stamped with my lovely new from the stamp show Artistic Outpost stamps and my homemade bottle cap & cosmetic wedge daubers. I love me some homemade supplies. Why am I sharing my desk you ask? Because it is What’s on Your Workdesk Wednesday of course!

The stencil brush ink technique is so quick and easy and a great solution for folks who have a hard time getting a smooth blend with foam blenders, have a look:

I also want to mention again how much I lobe my Samsung F90, it is so easy to shoot and share that I can make a quick little tutorial whenever I am in the mood. I’m not endorsed by them or anyone who sells them but I know a lot of you make craft videos too so I’m just sharing my opinion. For me the pause/record feature is what makes it, I can pause the video if I need to let something dry or get something and then resume it so no need to edit it later. I will say that I do not care for the software that comes with the camera, if I need to edit something I use Corel Video Studio Pro. Anyway, here is a close up of the inky card, not bad for 6 minutes eh?

So, do you want to see more crafty desks from around the globe? Check out Julia’s blog The Stamping Ground for more WOYWW fun! Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!

Happy Father’s Day & Easy Inky Landscapes!

Well, now, it finally feels like summer! I went out to let the chickens out and it was warm and sunny! I was up last night playing with some of my new stamp show stuff and I made a few cards, they can be for Father’s day or a manly birthday:

I enjoyed making the sponged background landscape so much that I flipped on the video camera and filmed the technique. A card like this is great to have on hand for a guy’s birthday! PS the car and gas pump stamps are by Local King Rubber Stamps.

Here is a close up of the card I made in the video:

At first I wanted to do the background with the new Crafters Workshop cityscape stencil but it seemed a bit busy, what do you think?

I had some old tourist maps that I cut for the background panel on this card, I also used the map to make envelopes, sorry no picture.

I hope you have a fun Father’s day and til next time happy crafting!

French Country & Lots of FUN Techniques!

My apologies to all of my subscribers who had an unedited draft of this post emailed to them.

I love a card that uses a lot of techniques but doesn’t cost a fortune to make.

That is the case with this card. I was going to save it for Earth Day next month but I was afraid I would forget so you get it today instead!

Technique #1: Fabric flowers with homemade “Gluebers”

What’s a glueber you might ask? Well, it is a really big glue dot and it is used to make fabric and twine flowers. It is also expensive so here is how you make your own gluebers and glue dots: You need a bottle of Aleens Tack It Over & Over glue (you can order it online line from joann or custom crops and most craft stores for about $3 a bottle-it lasts a LONG time!) Squirt out a circle of glue on waxed paper the size you want. For the flower my circle was about 2.5″ wide. Let the glue dry. After the glue is dry cover the sheet of dots with another sheet of waxed paper to save for later. Cut apart the large dots. To make the flower cut a 2″ wide strip of fabric (whatever kind you like and have on hand) and tie a knot close to the end. Press the knot in the center of the glue circle and twist the remaining fabric as you wrap it in a spiral around the knot pressing the fabric in the glue as you go.  Stick the fabric tail to the back and snip off any excess. I used about 24″ of fabric for this. It took all of 3 minutes. You can try low temp hot glue as well for this technique, just work on a silicone mat:)

Technique #2: Make Your Own Baker’s Twine

I did a post on that, you can read it here.

Technique #3: Make a yarn nest!

I love this technique and it is so easy, just wrap yarn around 3 fingers and scrunch up some in the middle and press into a gob or hot glue. EASY! then you can add little plastic eggs. FUN!

Technique 4: Raid your back yard!

When I needed a bit of organic goodness for my card I poked around in my back yard for twigs and pinecones. Free & fabulous!

Technique #5 (for those of you with Stampmakers) Stencil & Embosss!

I made a stencil with my TC Stampmaker and stenciled the background. I’m not sure I am in love with the stencil packs because I could cut a better stencil on my die cut machine. The stencil is thicker than it should be I think HOWEVER  I tried embossing with the stencil in my big shot die cutter and it worked beautifully. Also I made a woodgrain embossing plate with my stampmaker (see the kraft paper under the nest) and I quite enjoy that.

 So, there you have it! Lots of fun techniques you can try! Til next time happy crafting!