Butterfly Gift Box

Back in May for my birthday I received a Wonderful Surprise package in the mail from my dear friend Ema! Ema and I met a few years ago on a message board and we became really close friends. We have never met IRL, maybe someday. But for now we share emails, phone calls and lots of laughs!! One day we were talking about some crafting things we both wanted and one of the things that came up was the Scor-Pal. Well GUESS WHAT I got for my birthday!! Yep you guessed it--a Scor-Pal and I LOVE IT!!!! I can't believe all of the amazing things you can make with one of these little babies!! Plus you can go to the Scor-Pal website and they have tons of ideas and templates for all kinds of projects. I'm sure there is a ton of you out there that already have the score pal and love it. It was just one of those things that I wanted but I wasn't sure how much I would really use it and now that I have had it for a while I use it a LOT! I sometimes wonder what I ever did with out it!!

Here is a butterfly gift box that I made for my mom, I found the instructions for the box on the Scor-Pal website. For the top of the box I gave it a little peek-a-boo window with a butterfly. The butterfly is a die cut that was made using the Wizard and Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders.On the underside of the lid I added a piece of acetate for the window. Then I cut & embossed the butterfly and colored it using Copic sketch markers and the Copic air brushing system. I adhered the butterfly to the acetate using zip-dry from Beacon. I sponged the edges of the lid with Orchid Pastel ColorBox chalk ink and then with Frayed Burlap Distress Ink from Ranger. I added the trim and dew drops around the side and top edge using zip-dry from Beacon. For a finishing touch I layered two Prima flowers with a little ribbon, added a button to the center and then added stickles to the edges of the flower and the butterfly.Supplies~
Paper~DCWV--The Luxury Stack (lid), Prism--Iced Pink
Ink~ColorBox--Orchid Pastel , Ranger--Frayed Burlap Distress Ink
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing System, Flying Beauties (S4 123), Scor-Pal
Other~Prima--Flowers, Ranger--Stickles, Copic--Sketch Markers, ABS, The Robin's Nest--Dew Drops, Joann's--Button, Ribbon, Trim, Beacon--Zip Dry, My Stash--Acetate


Thanks again Ema!!! I am still loving my Scor-Pal!! Also don't forget to check out the Scor-Pal website for TONS of great ideas!! These little boxes are so quick and easy to make I think I might make a few of them to have on hand!

Thank you so much for stopping by today--I can't believe it's already Friday!! I hope you have a Fantastic day and a Wonderful weekend!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Movie Night

Do you ever have movie nights with friends or do your kids? Here is a great card that you could use for your next movie night or it would also work great for a birthday invitation too. This is a card that I made for one of my Spellbinders Design Team projects. For this card there is no stamping involved! Yep that's right--no stamping! Almost hard to imagine isn't it--LOL! The sentiment was printed out on the computer, the stars are felt cut outs from Fancy Pants and the rest of it is done with die cuts made using the Wizard and various dies from Spellbinders.Guess what die the Popcorn is from? It's not a popcorn die--try thinking out of the box.

Here is a close up of the die cut.~I used Iced Yellow CS from Prism and then I edged each piece with a yellow Copic sketch marker. Are you still thinking? Any guesses yet?To blend in the yellow I used the Colorless Copic Blender. Did you guess the right die? It's the Flower Creations 3 die from Spellbinders. The Flower Creations 3 die is a great one to have, you can make several different styles of flowers by layering the different shapes and as an added bonus you can also make Popcorn. *wink*

Once I had all of the popcorn pieces done then I started to assemble the card. The Film Strip die works great to go with the movie theme. I used a Oval Nestabilities die to make a back drop for the popcorn. Then for making the popcorn container I used the Sm. Scallop Square Nestabilities, I cut the sides at an angle and then made the stripes and outlined the container using a red Copic sketch marker. The sentiment was printed out and then cut out using one of the Tags 5 dies. To finish it off I added the felt stars, a little black ribbon and a red brad.

Here is a picture of how I used one of the Spellbinders Oval Nestabilities to make a backdrop for the popcorn. To do the popcorn first I put down all of the pieces that would be flat on the card. Then I added the popcorn container. The rest of the popcorn was put on with pop dots.

Supplies~
Paper~Prism
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Flower Creations 3 (S4 109), Film Strip (S3 026), Oval Nestabilities(S4 110), Square Nestabilities(S4 129), Tags 5 (S4 081)
Other~Copic--Sketch Markers, Fancy Pants--Felt Stars, My Stash--Ribbon, Brad & Pop Dots

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you enjoyed the card. I hope you have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Butterfly Garden Card

One of my favorite things to do in the summer time is visit the Butterfly Garden at the Minnesota Zoo. I don't know what it is about butterflies, maybe the fact that they represent hope and a new beginning, whatever it is they are some of the most amazing little creatures around! Their wings are so beautiful and delicate. The picture of the Monarch butterfly on the card is one that I took last summer.
The beautiful butterfly die cuts were made using the Bugs (S4 008) die and the Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders. Each butterfly was cut, embossed, stenciled and air brushed using the Copic air brushing system and Copic sketch markers. To add the white dots I used Perfect Pearls from Ranger. The stamped image of the butterfly wing is from RubberNeckers and was stamped on paper Cryogen White CS using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then the coloring was done with the Copic ABS and Sketch markers. Then I covered the entire piece with a dimensional glaze. Once that was dry I distressed the edges and then added some copper accents with the Copper pen from Krylon. I love the krylon pens--they can add so much to a project! The butterfly picture and the sentiment were cut out and then matted using the MegaNestabilites Long Classic & Scallop Rectangle from Spellbinders. The sentiment is also from RubberNeckers. To add more copper accents to the card I did copper gilding around the edge or the card, added a couple pieces of hardware, a HOPE charm and also some dew drops. I finished off the card by adding flourish, it's a piece of grunge board that I airbrushed with the Copic markers and then added some stickles and a few prima flowers.

Supplies~
Paper~CutCardStock.com--Cryogen White, Prism
Stamps~RubberNeckers--Wing(1311 SO), Sentiment(2000 10)
Ink~Brilliance--Graphite Black
Tools~Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Bugs (S4 008), Flying Beauties (S4 123), MegaNestabilites Long Classic & Scallop Rectangle (Classic-S4 142, Scallop-S4 143)
Other~Copic Sketch Markers & ABS, USArtQuest--Copper Gilding, Krylon--Copper Pen, Prima--Flowers, Ranger--Flourish Grunge Board, Stickles, Perfect Pearls, The Robin's Nest--Dew Drops, My Stash--Hardware, Ribbon, Butterfly Picture

Thank you for stopping by today and where ever you are I hope you have some sunshine in your day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and also to my husband Eric. Both of them are Terrific Dads!!

This is going to be a really quick post. I just wanted to share with you the cards that I made for Father's Day. The first card is the one I made for my Husband from the boys. Our oldest son just got an electric guitar and all of the guys in the house like to play the guitar--guitar hero, rock band or the real deal. So I thought it would be fun to do a cool card with the boys and the guitars. Here is what I came up with.~I think the picture turned out great!! The boys had fun taking the pictures and knowing that it was going to be on a card for Dad made it all the more fun. The circles and the corner elements are various pieces of chipboard. The skull and crossbones is a piece of grunge board. The letters from Dad are the Mystic font from Spellbinders. U Rock was printed on the computer. I also added some eyelets for embellishments.

The card that I made for my Dad was done using the Copic sketch markers and the air brush system. Almost the entire card was airbrushed. I used the markers on the mountain and on the grass. The stamps are all from CTMH. On the lake I added some clear dimensional glaze to give the look of water. I also added a little ribbon, buckle and brads for embellishments. Here is my Dad's card.~
Thank you so much for stopping by today & I hope all of the Dad's had a wonderful day!!
Happy Father's Day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Rose Blossom Bird Feeder

Do you ever see something in a store that you could alter and instantly get an idea? Well that's what happened to me when I was in Joann Fabrics one day and seen this little bird feeder. It was cute and had kind of a shabby look going on but I wanted to change it up a bit. I decided to use the bird feeder for one of my Spellbinder Design Team gallery projects.
I started out by cutting and embossing ArtEmboss soft metal sheets (it's like a crafting foil) from Amaco using the Rose Blossoms Edgeabilities die (s4 044) from Spellbinders. If you haven't ever used the metal sheets it is really easy to work with and it works great in the Wizard. It comes in a variety or colors (with a silver back) and also in copper, brass and pewter. The colored foil can also be sanded, doing this really makes embossed images pop! I cut out enough pieces to go all the way around the top edge of the bird feeder. I wanted the foil die cuts to hold the raised embossing so I filled the back of the die cut with clear household silicone which also works great for an adhesive.

Here is the backside of the foil die cut. ~
You want to make sure you completely fill it in as shown here.~ Then I started placing the foil pieces around the top edge of the bird feeder. I let a little of the foil hang over the edge to give the bird feeder a little more dimension. Here is a close up of what the foil looks like once the top is done.I also wanted to add some foil around the bottom and on the hanger so I cut and embossed several pieces of foil using the Doodle Parts die (S4 121) from Spellbinders and following the same instructions as above I adhered the foil.

Here is a picture with the foil Doodle Parts around the bottom and on the hanger.~Once I had all of the foil pieces adhered I let the bird feeder sit over night so the adhesive would dry and the silicone would firm up. The next morning I took the bird feeder apart so I could start painting it. I used Coffee Bean (brown) acrylic paint from Plaid for the first two layers of paint. You can just use a sponge brush to apply the paint. I wanted the bottom layers of paint to be dark so once the bird feeder was sanded it would have distressed or "shabby" look. After the brown paint was dry then I put on two coats of Parchment (ivory) acrylic paint from Plaid. Once all of the paint was dry then I lightly sanded all of the metal pieces.

All of the coloring was done using the Copic sketch markers. Here is a close up of the top once all of the coloring was done.As you can see from the pictures I also added a doodle and a butterfly to the cylinder part . The doodle was done using the Doodle Part (s4 121) die and Flying Beauties (S4 123) die from Spellbinders. The doodle part was done exactly like the other foil pieces. For the Butterfly I made two die cuts, one was using the foil and it was cut and embossed and the other was just a die cut that was cut from brass. I did this so the butterfly would be more sturdy. On the foil piece I filled in the back with the silicone and then placed the brass die cut on the back. Once the butterfly was dry I painted, sanded and colored the doodle piece and the butterfly. Then I used an adhesive to adhere the pieces to the acrylic cylinder.

Here is the finished bird feeder.~To see another beautiful and very inspiring project done with foil, be sure to stop by another Spellbinders Design Team Member's blog Paper Fections by Sharon Harnist. Sharon designed and altered a beautiful Herb Garden using the foil technique.

Supplies~
Spellbinders--Wizard Universal Die Cutting and Embossing System, Rose Blossoms Edgeabilities (s4 044), Doodle Parts (S4 121), Flying Beauties (S4 123)
Amaco--Cerulean Blue Foil, Light Brass
Beacon Adhesives--Fabri-Tac
Copic--Sketch Markers-V01, V04, B21, B23, BV04, G24, YG95
Plaid--Acrylic Paint-Coffee Bean, Parchment
Joann Fabrics--Bird Feeder
Loctite--Clear Household Silicone
Other--Sponge Brush, Sanding Block

Using the Spellbinders dies and the foil you can take something that is ordinary and turn it into extraordinary!

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you are having a fantastic week!!

Smiles!
Heidi

As promised--better late than never Mother's Day cards

I bet you were beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get these posted! LOL!

The first card is one that I made for my Mom. I started out with the stamped image from RubberNeckers and colored it with Copic markers. Then I started looking through my paper & I thought the image went perfectly with this designer paper Sultry from Basic Grey. On the flourish chipboard first I air brushed it using Copic markers and then I added Crackle Accents from Ranger. Just a Note ** adding the Crackle Accents on top of the Copic markers will give you a deeper color. The Flourish started out the same color as the dress on the stamped image. I used the Long Scallop Rectangle MegaNestabilities die (S4 143) from Spellbinders to cut out a rectangle in the BG paper and sponged the edges with brown ink. I used the ATC Card (S4 073) die from Spellbinders to make a corner accent on the rectangle and also on the flourish chipboard. The tag is a die cut from the Tags Trio (S3 150) die from Spellbinders and I did the Reverse Stenciling technique on the tag. The Reverse Stenciling technique can be seen by clicking HERE. The edges of the BG paper were distressed and then sponged with brown ink. For embellishments I also added some perfect pearls, trim, flowers, brads and a button.

Supplies~
Paper~Iced Kiwi, Intense Kiwi--Prism, Sultry--Basic Grey, Solar White CS
Stamps~Embrace Text (165SO), Brigette (237-07)--RubberNeckers
Ink~Coffee Bean Ink--Brilliance
Tools~Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing System, Long Scallop Rectangle MegaNestabilities(S4 143) , ATC Card (S4 073), Tags Trio (S3 150)--Spellbinders Paper Arts
Other~Copic Sketch Markers, ABS--Copic, Pink Trim--Creative Impressions, Perfect Pearls--Ranger, Flowers-Prima & CTMH, Tiny Rhinestones, Flourish Chipboard, Button--My Stash

This next card is one that I made for my mom to give to my Grandma. My Grandma loves purple and lavender so I thought these papers would work wonderfully. Here is a view of the front of the card when it is closed.
Here is a picture of the inside.~I know it might not look like it but this card was actually very quick and easy. I used my Score Pal (thanks Ema!! *wink*) to quickly measure and score the card base and then I used three panels of K&Company designer paper to dress it up. I mounted the card onto a larger base using two different colors of CS, purple 6 x 6 and lavender 5 3/4 x 5 3/4 and then I stamped a flourish image on each side & added some touches of glitter using stickles. I cut, embossed & stenciled the butterflies using the Flying Beauties (S4 123) & Butterflies 2 (S3 146) dies from Spellbinders. To do the stenciling I used Copic sketch markers and the Copic ABS. I also added a little stickles to each of the butterflies. For the sentiment I stamped it using Brilliance Graphite Black ink and then I cut out the sentiment using the Large Classic Oval Nestabilities (S4 110) from Spellbinders.

Supplies~
Paper~Majestic Purple Light, Majestic Purple Dark, Iced Pink, Frosted Teal--Prism, Purple Butterfly Glitter Paper--K&Company
Ink~Graphite Black Ink--Brilliance
Stamps~Sentiment--Hero Arts, Flourishes (retired) --SU
Tools~Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing Tool, Large Classic Oval Nestabilities (S4 110), Flying Beauties (S4 123), Butterflies 2 (S3 146)--Spellbinders Paper Arts, Score Pal--
Other~Copic Sketch Markers, Copic ABS--Copic, Stickles--Ranger, Rhinestones & Ribbon--My Stash

Thank You so much for stopping by!! I also wanted to say Thank You for all of the wonderful comments and personal emails from my last post!! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! I always love hearing from all of you!! I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Sorry for my absence...

I know I haven't been around for awhile but life has just been throwing us some real curve balls lately. Last week our long time friend and neighbor passed away, he had a massive heart attack and we were with his wife through the whole thing. It was very heartbreaking. They had been married almost 51 years. Then on Saturday my Dad was in a car accident, he is ok--thank God!! But the car was totaled and to make matters worse the people who caused him to have the accident never even stopped to see if he was ok!! I just can't believe some people!!! On top of all of this I have been having some problems with my arthritis. At my last doctor's visit the doctor told my that my arthritis has moved on to the next level and I now have rheumatoid arthritis. My inflammation markers keep going up so I have had to be on higher doses of some medications which has now started to cause some other problems. Last week I started a new medication which is an injection that I give myself. So far I haven't seen any changes but the doctor said it could take up to a month or month and a half before I might notice any significant changes. I am hoping for some positive results!!

In my last post I promised to show you some cards that I made for Mother's day and I will still do that but for today I would like to keep this post sweet and simple. I would like to leave you with the sympathy card that I made for our neighbor.

Remembering Andy~Andy and his wife Donna were like another Grandpa & Grandma to our kids. Andy was a true kid at heart, having water fights with the kids on hot summer days, always giving them treats and he loved to tease & joke. Andy will be greatly missed but we have many wonderful memories that we will always hold close to our hearts. In loving memory...

Thank you for stopping by today! I will try to get back to a more regular posting very soon. Take care & I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!
Smiles!
Heidi

A Great Weekend and A Birthday Card for my Mom

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!! I had a great time this past weekend! I went with a couple of friends, Miriam and Delores to the Rubber Stamping and Scrapping Expo in St. Paul and then we met up with my friend and fellow Spellbinders DT member Donya and her aunt Michelle. We had a wonderful day hanging out together and going to all of the booths. I met some wonderful people including Dave from RubberNeckers Stamp Company, the people from Marco's Paper and Gina from Gina K Designs. I also met a few ladies who recognized me from my blog and the Spellbinders DT so that was really fun too!!

While we were there we did some shopping, you can't go to an Expo and NOT buy something!! LOL!! Then after we left the show we drove down to Burnsville and we all met up at the Olive Garden for a late lunch. The food was scrumptious as always!! It was an all around great day with girlfriends!!

This past weekend my Mom had her Birthday--HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!! I want to share with you the card that I made for her. The Designer Paper is from the Basic Grey-Stella Ruby Collection and it is soooo yummy!! I love all of the papers from that collection! In the upper left corner I stamped a flourish stamp from Fancy Pants-Bella Brush stamp set using Brilliance Coffee Bean pigment ink and I also sponged around the edges of the paper. I stamped the Hearty Vase Stamp from RN on the Nestabilities Large Classic Circle and backed it with a Large Petite Scallop Circle from Spellbinders. I used Brilliance Coffee Bean ink to stamp the image and colored it in using the Copic sketch markers and ABS. I also added some touches of sparkle to the flourish stamp and the floral arrangement using the Spica Gold glitter pen from Copic. Then I added all the fun embellishments-ribbon, brads, prima and a word charm.

Here are the Copic markers I used.
On the vase of flowers I wanted it to look like there was babies breath in the floral arrangement so I added some liquid pearls from Ranger using a stylus. This is very easy to do, just use the small end of the stylus and dip it into the liquid pearls and then lightly tap on your paper. Here is a close up of the vase.

Supplies~
Paper-Basic Grey-Stella Ruby, Prism-Prismatics Frosted Yellow, WorldWin-Treasures Deep Brown & Sage, Curious Iridescent-Cryogen White
Ink-Brilliance-Coffee Bean
Stamps-RubberNecker Stamp Company-Stamp Oasis Hearty Vase, Fancy Pants-Bella Brush
Tools-Spellbinders-Wizard Universal Die Cutting & Embossing Tool, Lg. Petite Scallop Circle Nestabilities, Lg. Classic Circle Nestabilities, Fiskar-1/4 inch Hole Punch, Stylis
Other-Prima-Flowers, Offray Ribbon-Sheer Willow, Copic-Sketch Markers (as shown above), ABS, Spica Gold Glitter Pen, Ranger-Liquid Pearls, CTMH-Brown Brads, Walmart-Copper Word Charm, Beacon-Zip Dry Adhesive

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! I have several new designs that I will be showing you over the next few days so be sure to stop by often! I just got to thinking I never did post the cards and a gift box that I made for Mother's Day--sounds like a plan for tomorrow!

I hope your Monday was Marvelous!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Spellbinders Technique-Reverse Stenciling Tutorial & a New Shape Card

Today I want to share with you a New Spellbinders Technique called Reverse Stenciling. Michelle Klomp, one of the Spellbinders DT members came up with this fun & easy new technique. This is a technique that I did on the birthday card from my last post.

As I'm sure a lot of you already know with the Spellbinders dies you can Cut, Emboss & Stencil. If this is something that you didn't know here is how you would do the stenciling, after you cut &/or emboss you turn the die over to the smooth side, then you can use ink & a sponge to do the stenciling. Doing this will add even more detail to your die cut.

Here is a picture of basic Stenciling. To do the Reverse Stenciling first you make one pass through the Wizard to do the cutting. Then you remove the die cuts from the die. Placing the die with the cut side up (ridges) ink the inside part of the die. After you are done with the ink put the die onto the white cutting mat & then carefully place the die cut back into the die. To protect the mats from getting ink all over place a piece of scrap paper on top of the die, then the tan embossing mat & another white cutting mat and put it through the Wizard.

Here is a picture showing three different styles of the die cuts.
1. Cut & Embossed 2. Cut, Embossed & Stencil 3. Cut, Reverse Stencil & EmbossJust as a note, you can also use Copic markers and airbrush system to do the stenciling. Like I said this technique is really fun and easy but I love the different effect it gives the die cut. What do you think?

Yesterday I was finally able to have a fun play day and let me tell you it was way over due! Last week I got a package from Spellbinders with lots of fun new dies & yesterday was the first chance I had to open them up and play around.

Here is one of the cards that I made yesterday.In my package I received the new MegaNestabilities which are long rectangles, classic and scalloped. I used the largest scalloped rectangle to make a shape card. These are really easy to make, take a piece of fold CS and let the die hang over just a bit on the folded edge and run it through the Wizard. When you are doing this you might want to run it through twice since it is cutting through two pieces of CS. These cards will fit perfectly into a 3-5/8 x 6-1/2 envelope.The stamped image Celtic Goddess is from RubberNecker Stamp Company. I cut out an oval using the large classic oval nest and before I removed the CS I stamped the image using Graphite Black Brilliance ink. The wings are from the ATC card die. I used Cryogen White CS for both the oval and the wings. I really love the little bit of shimmer this CS has, it's not too overpowering. If you look at the close up picture you can see the shimmer on the face of the goddess image. The crown is Grungeboard from the Elements Swirls set. I used distress inks and some metallic silver ink to color the crown and then added some silver stickles around the swirls and some rhinestones for bling. The sentiment is from Hampton Art Stamps.

All of the coloring was done using Copic sketch markers and the airbrush system. Here are the markers that I used.Supplies
Stamps-RubberNeckers-Celtic Goddess Celestial Dreams 1107SO, Hampton Art Stamps-Art Soul
Paper-Cut Card Stock-Curious Iridescent Cryogen White, SU-Night of Navy, Almost Amethyst
Ink-Brilliance-Graphite Black, Ranger-Distress Ink- Weathered Wood, Worn Lipstick, Dusty Concord, Encore-Ultimate Metallic Silver
Spellbinders-Wizard, Universal Embossing & Die Cutting System, MegaNestabilities-Large Classic (S4 142) and Scalloped (S4 143) Rectangles, ATC Card (S4 073), Classic Large Oval (S4 110) Nestabilities
Copic-Sketch markers as shown above and the ABS
Other-Ranger-Silver Stickles, Joann's-Rhinestones

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and if you make any cards using the Reverse Stencil Technique I would love to see them so please leave a link to your card in the comments. Have a Terrific Day!!

Smiles!
Heidi

How long has it been?

To long, if you ask me!! I have been keeping very busy with Spellbinders DT projects, orders and life! I hope to be able to share some of my Spellbinders DT projects with you all very soon.

The card I would like to share with you today is a Birthday card that I made for my Dad. His birthday was April 23rd--Happy Birthday Dad!!! My Dad LOVES to garden!! Him and my Mom have several beautiful flower gardens and a veggie garden in their yard. They have even been on the Art and Garden tours. The stamped image is from RubberNeckers Stamp Company. I love trees and I think this one is going to be a favorite! I colored in the image of the tree using Copic sketch markers. The die cuts were done using the Wizard-Universal Embossing and Die Cutting System from Spellbinders along with the Bugs die and the Wheelbarrow die. On all of the die cuts I did a NEW technique called Reverse Stenciling. Michelle Klomp from the Spellbinders DT came up with this new technique. I will be posting a tutorial on this tomorrow, so be sure to stop back. *wink* The flowers in the wheelbarrow are rub-ons. I found the sentiment at Scrapbook.com, it is a great resource for finding Quotes, Phrases, Poems and Titles for all of your paper crafting projects.

Thank you so much for stopping by!! I hope you are having a great week so far and don't forget to stop back tomorrow for the Reverse Stencil tutorial!

Smiles!
Heidi

Not Your Typical Anniversary Card

This past Sunday was mine and my husband's wedding anniversary. I wanted to make him a card for our anniversary and I got to thinking that he has seen all of my 'guy' stamps, so I wasn't sure what to do. So I had to do some thinking on that one! I also wanted the card to be special-something just for him. Eric collects dragons like the ones from the Bradford Exchange and I thought it would be really fun to make him a card with a dragon. I know not your typical anniversary card! My next thought was how do you make a card with a dragon and still find the romance? Well here is what I came up with.~I found the picture of the dragon and printed it out. Then I covered it with micro beads and added some rhinestones for some bling! I had a pattern for flames and I did some airbrushing with the Copic markers and the ABS to add the colors. Then cut out the flames and outlined them using the black Spica glitter pen. I also added a little hardware and ribbon along with the sentiment.

Here is a close up of the dragon.~
Now for the inside of the card. Here is where the 'romance' comes in! lol!! I put a poem on the left side and another sentiment on the right. I also did a little more airbrushing on the inside of the card.I am happy to say He LOVED it!!

Supplies~
Cardstock-All WorldWin
Stamps-No Stamps this time around! Everything was printed off the computer.
Ink-Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap--Ranger
Markers-Copic Sketch-R27, YR24, Y15, Y19, YR04, E15 and the Copic ABS, Spica Black Glitter Pen
Other-Wonder Tape, Micro Beads, Rhinestones--Michael's, Hardware and Ribbon, Foam Tape-From My Stash, Fabri-tac, Gem-tac--Beacon Adhesives

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! I hope you enjoyed a different style of creativity! I hope you day is filled with sunshine!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Think Spring!! Tulip Card

This past week I received a WONDERFUL package from Rubbernecker Stamp Company!! This is the first time I have ever used RN stamps and I have to say I LOVE them!! They are unmounted deeply etched Red Rubber with a cling back for mounting onto an acrylic block.

The past few days have been kind of cold and rainy and I think I am trying to will spring here! My plan just might be working, it was in the 60's yesterday and today it is supposed to be in the 70's! I thought this tulip image would be perfect for a spring card. When I worked at the floral shop I always looked forward to the tulips in the springtime. The background images are from a from a Floral Collage stamp. The stamp is a large background stamp but my CS was a little bigger than the stamp so I stamped it a couple of times to get complete coverage on the CS. I used versa mark ink and then lightly sprinkled on a little EP. Before heat setting the EP I also added some perfect pearls to add some shimmer. After heat setting the EP then I brushed off the excess perfect pearls.

The tulip image was colored in using Copic sketch markers. I love being able to blend all of the colors together! To do the tulips I used several colors from the pinks and purples, starting with the lightest colors first and then going to the darker colors. I also added some touches of sparkle using the Spica glitter pens. Once I was done with the coloring I cut out the image.I cut out a Classic and Scalloped Square Nestabilities using the Wizard, Universal Die Cutting and Embossing Tool to mount the tulip image on. Before adhering the tulips I took a craft knife and cut around a few of the flowers and then popped them up with a little foam tape behind each one. When doing this you do not need to cut the flower out completely, just cut around it leaving it attached at the stem. Doing this takes a little more time but it really adds a lot of dimension to your image!

Before adhering all of pieces together I also add the sheer ribbon and trim. To add the sheer ribbon I used a tape runner and for the trim I used Fabri-tac. Fabri-tac is great for adding trims and lace. If you don't want to wrap the trim underneath and have the extra thickness cut off the trim right next to the edge of the CS and add just a little dab of Fabri-tac. Doing this will hold the ends in place and keep it from fraying.

Of coarse I had to add a few touches of bling! I added a vintage style button to the trim and some swarovski crystals on the nestabilities.

Supplies~
Stamps~Floral Collage-able (263-05), Bold Florals-Tulips (168-05)--Rubberneckers Stamp Company
Cardstock~Whisper White--SU, Shimmer DP--DCWV, Med. and Dark Terrific Teal (colormates), Lovely Lilac (doublemates)---WorldWin
Ink~Brilliance-Graphite Black, Versa Mark--Tsukineko, Distress Ink-Dusty Concord--Ranger
Tools~Wizard, Universal Die Cutting and Embossing Tool, Classic and Scalloped Nestabilities--Spellbinders
Markers/Pens~Sketch Markers-R81, R20, RV11, RV17,V01, Vo4, BV000, BV04, B00, B21, B23, BG45, G03, G24, YG00, Y00, Spica Glitter Pens-Pink 02, Lavender 01, Melon 06--Copic
Other~Elegant Gold Tinsel EP--Enchanted Creations, Perfect Pearls--Ranger, Ribbon, Foam Tape, Trim, Button, Crystals--from My Stash, Fabri-tac, Gem-tac--Beacon


Thank you so much for stopping by today!! I hope you have a wonderful beginning to a new week and don't forget to hop on over to Rubbernecker Stamps and check out all of the great products they have to offer!! Also right now they have a Spring Madness Overstock Sale going on with lots of great deals so be sure to check it out!!

Smiles!
Heidi

Copic Three Dimensional Flowers Tutorial

I want to share with you how I created the three dimensional flowers that were on a wedding card from the last post. To create each flower I used three of the large flower shapes from the Spellbinders Flower Creation die and the Wizard Die Cutting and Embossing Tool. If you don't have this die you could also use punches, pre-made die cuts, or cut flowers freehand.

Step 1
As you can see in the picture I started out with white cardstock. All of the coloring for these flowers was done using the Copic sketch markers and the Copic ABS (air brush system). I started with the lightest color first, Barium Yellow (Y00). Start at the center of the flower using the brush tip, to do these strokes I lightly push down on the marker and pull up as I am coming out to the petal.

Step 2
For step two I did the same thing using a darker color, Chrome Orange (YR04).
Step 3
This was also done with a darker color, Cadmium Red (R27). I know this might seem like you are doing the same thing over and over and just covering up the lighter color with no results or maybe you are thinking why not just put the darker color on instead of doing all of these layers. But the great thing about working with the Copic markers is they blend and layering several colors will give you depth in you project.
Step 4
Using the same color as in step #3 lightly air brush over the entire flower.
Step 5
Using the Warm Red ColorBox ink and a sponge in all the edges of the petals. I wanted to use a slightly darker color to add more depth to the flowers.
Step 6
Using the Colorless Blender (0) and doing the same stroke as in step # 1 I pulled some of the color from the petals. Doing this lightens it up a tad and it also makes the faux veins of the flower show up more.
Step 7
This is the darkest color and the last color that will be added to the flowers, Lipstick Red (R29). Starting all the way in the center of the flower do the same stroke as in step #1 but do it with a slightly lighter hand. This will help to make finer lines.
Step 8
Since these flowers are three dimensional you can see the back side a little so I would recommend lightly airbrushing the back of each flower.
After you have all of the flowers colored then you will layer them. Glue dots work great for doing this. Make sure the petals are layered so you can see the petals on the bottom layers. Once you have this done then bend (fold) the petals to the center of the flower. You can also use the end of a small paint brush to curl the ends a little. For the center of the flower I used a larger circle brad and covered it with dimensional pearl paint and then added a pearl flower. Here is a tip**If you would like to keep your flowers popped up put a tiny bit of clear silicone behind each petal. I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial with the Copic markers and doing the three dimensional flowers. I encourage you to give this a try!! If you do I would love to see your designs, so please leave a link to your blog or online gallery in the comments. Also if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Thanks so much for stopping by!! I hope you have a wonderful day and where ever you are I hope there is sunshine!!

Smiles!
Heidi