Fun with Black & White Tags

Hi Everyone,
Sorry I have been absent for so long. My kids are all back in school and we are slowly getting into a regular routine. With my husband away on business, I have been taking care of everything which has meant very little time for stamping and creating.
So today I thought I would share with you some tags that I created for a swap that I participated in recently. I belong to a wonderful group called Art of the Creative Mind, where we explore creating art using mixed media. It is a lot of fun and really has given me the opportunity to think outside the box.
Anyway, this particular swap was to create two Black & White Tags. Now, I have never really played with this combination before as I tend to gravitate towards color, so this was a fun challenge for me.

I decided to have one tag be black and the other white to explore the different contrasts. I also decided to use two different embossing techniques - heat embossing and dry embossing using my Sizzix Big Shot.

For the Black Tag I used the Stampin' Up Background stamp, En Francais, and stamped it with Whisper White Craft ink. Using white embossing powder and my heat gun, I heat embossed the tag and loved the texture and look of the bold white script on the black cardstock.

To embellish this tag, I used my Scallop Circle punch to punch out my flower shape and then cut between every second scallop towards the center to create the petals. I stamped the pattern using a stamp from the Elements of Style stamp set from Stampin' Up, using Basic Black Classic ink. The small black center flower was punched from black cardstock using the Boho Blossoms punch and I used a clear rhinestone jewel to accent the center of the flower.

The small white tag was dry embossed using my Big Shot and the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing folder that is exclusive to Stampin' Up. Then I created my sentiment using the For You stamp, also from the Elements of Style stamp set with Basic Black Craft ink and heat embossed it using black embossing powder to add some dimension. I matted it onto a slightly larger circle of black cardstock. The ribbons were some scraps I had left over from another project and just seemed to finish it off.

For the white tag, I decided to again use my Big Shot and the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing folder to emboss the background to add texture. I created the border across the top using the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch from Stampin' Up.  The flowers were punched from white and black cardstock using the Boho Blossoms punch and I accented the centers of each of the flowers with Dazzling Diamonds for a little sparkle.

The letter F and friends were stamped in Basic Black Craft ink and heat embossed using black embossing powder. The stamped images were created with the Vintage Vogue stamp set from Stampin' Up. I carefully cut out the letter F to help it stand out against the white embossed cardstock. I again used a scrap of black ribbon to create the tie for the tag.

These tags can be used for many different projects. You can use them as gift tags, bookmarks, or as an element for your card or scrapbook page. I had so much fun creating these tags and they really are a wonderful way to explore new techniques and color combinations.

I hope you have enjoyed today's creative stamping project and I hope that it will inspire you to try experimenting with tags. Have a wonderful day.

Until Next Time.

Stampin' Hugs,

Tricia Butts

http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net/

Creating a Card with the Stained Glass Technique

Hi Everyone,
I am so excited to share with you how I created the card from the previous past using the Stained Glass Technique on Vellum. This technique is created when you stamp an image onto vellum and then apply color using markers or ink to the reverse side so that when it is turned back to the front, it appears to look like stained glass. I hope that you will love this technique as much as I do.
Now because I created my original card for a swap, I didn't take photos of the steps along the way, so I chose to make a new card and took photos of the different layers (although I still forgot to take a photo of the colored vellum layer).

Here is a photo of the completed card I created. This time I decided to use orange and yellow for my flowers and although I like the color combination, next time I would switch it so that my roses were yellow and my blossoms were orange.

Ok, so to create this card I started with a card base of Very Vanilla cardstock because I wanted a vintage feel to my card.

Next I took my En Francais background stamp and using River Rock Classic ink, I inked the whole stamp. Then, with my background stamp on the table facing up, I carefully placed the front of my card face down onto the stamp and gently rubbed the back to transfer the image evenly. Carefully lift the card straight up to get a clean, crisp image.

This is how your card front will look when you are done. This will provide that soft background script that will add dimension to your card design. Put your card base to one side ready for the next step.

Now we will work on the top layer by cutting a piece of White Vellum Paper, 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. Place your piece of vellum on top of a clean piece of white typing paper to protect your surface and your image. This will make it easier to work on this part of the card.

Using the large rose floral image from the stamp set Elements of Style, I stamped this image on my vellum. Now I used Crumb Cake Classic ink but looking back at my card I wish I had used an ink that was darker so that the image stood out a little better. I would suggest trying Chocolate Chip or perhaps even Early Espresso Classic ink for a more defined stamp image that will allow it to show through when colored with the Stampin' Write Markers.

This is how it will look once you have stamped your image. As you can see, it has a very soft, sepia look to it. Allow the ink on the vellum to dry completely before moving onto the next step to avoid smearing.

While you are waiting for the vellum to dry, start choosing the colors that you want to use to color the elements of your stamped image. Remember that you want colors that will not be too dark so that you can still see the original stamped image through the color. I chose to use Pear Pizzazz (New In Color) for the leaves, Peach Parfait (New In Color) for my roses and Daffodil Delight for my blossoms. All three of these are brand new colors just released this month, and I am having so much fun coming up with new color combinations.

Once your stamped image on the vellum is dry, flip the vellum over so that the reverse side is facing up. Starting with the leaves and stems, color them in using the brush tip of the Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker to add soft subtle color to your leaves. Be careful not to smudge where you have colored with your hands (I find rotating the vellum as you color helps with this).

Next I colored the roses with my Peach Parfait Stampin' Write Marker. Now, when I first started I realized that it was a little too dark and my stamped image was not showing through as I would have liked. So then I tried just outlining the stamped areas with my marker and gently smudging the color with my finger tip which gave it a softer look. Another alternative would be to use a sponge dauber to carefully add color to the image. Play around with this to come up with what works best for you.

Using my Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Marker to color my blossoms with just a touch of the Peach Parfait to add depth to the centers. When complete, allow it to dry to prevent the colors from smudging.

The sentiment on the front of the card is created using the new Level 3 Hostess stamp set, Occasional Quotes. I love having lots of different sentiments to choose from and this set has a wonderful variety that work for many different occasions. I used Pear Pizzazz Classic ink to stamp the sentiment onto Very Vanilla cardstock and then I punched it out using the Modern Label Extra Large punch and then sponged the edges with Pear Pizzazz Classic ink. The scalloped oval that mattes the sentiment is actually created from two halves of the Extra Large Scallop Oval punch from Pear Pizzazz cardstock, so that it evenly frames both sides of the sentiment. To add a little sparkle, I applied Dazzling Diamonds using my Two Way Glue Pen.

So now it is time to assemble my card. If you have any experience with vellum you will know that using adhesive with it can be a little tricky. Most adhesives will show through the vellum which is not a desirable look. I discovered that my Two Way Glue Pen worked great with the vellum without showing through, yippee!

Before you glue your vellum on your card, flip the vellum over to the right side and place it on top of your card front. Check and make sure that everything looks the way you want it and fix anything before the next step. Once you glue the vellum in place there is no going back.

To adhere the vellum to your card front, flip the vellum to the reverse side again and using your Two Way Glue Pen, draw a thin line along all four sides of your vellum. It will look blue but once it dries it will be clear and will not show. Carefully place your vellum onto your card front starting with the top and lining it up as you work your way down. You can carefully lift the vellum as you work with it to make sure it goes on smoothly. Gently smooth the vellum to make sure there are no bubbles or kinks.

Once you are happy with how it looks, you can adhere your sentiment to the vellum using snail adhesive. For the finishing touch, I took a sponge dauber and gently sponged the outside edges of the front of the card with Pear Pizzazz Classic ink for a soft shadow look. Because the ink will be on the vellum, you will still be able to see the background script through the sponged color. Here is photo of the finished card again for you to see.

There are so many ways you can use the Stained Glass technique to design your cards and papercrafting projects. Think of how pretty it would look for a Christmas card design or to enhance a scrapbook page. Please contact me if you have any questions or you would like to place an order. Remember you can also place your order online through my Stampin' Up website by clicking Shop Now.

I hope you have enjoyed today's Creative Card share and I hope that it will inspire you to create your own works of art.

Until Next Time.

Happy Stampin',

Tricia Butts

http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net/

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up):

Stamps: En Francais Background, Level 3 Hostess Set Occasional Quotes

Elements Of Style - Clear-Mount Stamp 120045 Price: $19.95

                                - Wood-Mount Stamp 118611 Price: $27.95 Set Quantity: 5

Creative Card Share - Stained Glass Technique with Vellum

Hi Everyone,
Well, my house is slowly getting back to normal and it no longer seems strange that we don't have guests here anymore. It was wonderful to have family visiting us and even though it was for only a short time, the memories will last a lifetime.
Today I thought I would share with you a technique that I have wanted to try for quite a while, but just hadn't gotten around to it. Thanks to a swap that I joined on the group "Art for the Creative Mind", I played with this technique and now I am addicted to it.
Honestly, it is really very simple but the effect is amazing and everyone that I have shown my cards to has just gone "Wow"! Now is that something that we all love?
Here is the original card that I created for my swap partner, Jeri, using the stamp set Elements of Style, the retired stamp set Asian Artistry (the dragonfly) and the background stamp En Francais (all from Stampin' Up). The butterflies are embossed and diecut with the Sizzix Embosslit die, Beautiful Wings and they are enhanced with Dazzling Diamonds for a little sparkle. The floral image has been stamped on vellum and colored on the reverse with my Stampin' Write Markers.

Don't you just love the soft, vintage feel to this card? The vellum gives the impression that the colored, stamped flowers are just floating on the surface of the card. In case you were wondering, the theme for the swap was Dragonflies & Butterflies and I think this card covered them both with style.

Would you like to see how I created this card? Stay tuned for my next post for details on how to create a card similar to this using the same technique.

Until Next Time.

Happy Stampin',

Tricia Butts

http://www.triciabutts.stampinup.net/

Supplies Used (All Stampin' Up):

Stamps: Elements of Style, En Francais, Asian Artistry (retired)

Inks: Basic Brown (retired), Crumb Cake Classic Inks

Papers: Very Vanilla Cardstock, White Vellum Paper

Accessories: Big Shot, Sizzix Beautiful Wings Embosslit, Stampin' Write Markers (Marina Mist, Blushing Bride, Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, Bashful Blue), Sponge Daubers, Dazzling Diamonds, Two Way Glue Pen

Simply Water Color Elements of Style Butterfly

Happy Tuesday Everyone,

Today I was inspired by the butterflies that love to flutter around our backyard. I find it soothing to watch them as they make their carefree journey, flitting from place to place.

This clean and simple card design is created using Very Vanilla cardstock that I embossed using the Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Embossing Folder from Stampin' Up to provide a subtle background.

I die cut the butterfly using my Big Shot and Stampin' Up's Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die. I chose the larger full size butterfly as I felt it fit the card design without overpowering it.

Next I stamped the roses design from the Elements of Style stamp set, which can be found in the Summer Mini Catalog, with Basic Brown Classic ink (this ink is on the Last Chance Accessories List).  I love using the Basic Brown because it is waterproof and it provides a softer image than the Basic Black Classic ink.

I wanted my card to have a soft, romantic feel to it, so I chose soft colors to water color the stamped image. Using my Blender Pen to add color, I used Certainly Celery Classic ink for the leaves and Old Olive Classic Ink to add shadow and depth. The roses I colored with Pretty in Pink Classic ink and Melon Mambo Classic ink.

Before attaching the butterfly to my card, I gently folded it in half to give the appearance that my butterfly was about to take flight. Using a glue dot I attached the butterfly onto my Very Vanilla card base so that it slightly overlapped the embossed design.

To finish it off, I added a half pearl (from the Pretties Kit which is also on the Last Chance Accessories List) to the center of my butterfly with a glue dot.

This past weekend I demonstrated this card at the PWFW - Painting With Friends Weekend and we had so much fun making this card. Unfortunately, I was so busy I didn't get the chance to take photos of all the wonderful cards to share how creative these ladies are.

I hope you have enjoyed today's card creation and I hope it inspires you in creating your summer projects.

Until Next Time.

Happy Stampin',

Tricia Butts

P.S. Don't forget! Tomorrow is your last day to take advantage of the Last Chance Retirement Lists. Please contact me to place your order or visit my Online Store here and click Shop Now.

Creative Card Buffet: Day 3 Card Share

Hi Everyone,
I am back to share with you two more card designs that will be available to make during Saturday's Creative Card Buffet. Once again, these cards demonstrate how different colors and designs can suit different occasions and how you can create cards to suit the special people in your life.

The first card is bold, bright and happy. With this card design you will get the opportunity to try out the new Stampin' Around Builder Wheels that are in the new Summer Mini Catalog. This new product allows you to mix and match these new wheels to create your own personal design to suit your card. The two wheels we will be using in this card are So Many Stars and Candle Crazy, and they can be used with the Wheel Spindle and Spacers kit with the Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel Handle. These Builder Wheels are also great for creating borders and backgrounds for your scrapbook pages.
The Texture for this card is created with the new Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder with the Big Shot. I just love this new embossing folder and it is fun to experiment with using the embossed and debossed sides for different effects.

The second card is soft, subtle and serene. Unfortunately the photo just doesn't do this card justice, but no matter how I tried I just couldn't seem to capture the beauty of this card. The card design is created with the new Elements of Style stamp set from the new Summer Mini Catalog and the images are heat embossed using Bashful Blue Craft ink and Clear Embossing powder. The subtle color to the floral design is achieved using the Stampin' Pastels. If you have never used Stampin' Up's Pastels before, you will love using them with this card.
So there you have it. I hope you have enjoyed today's peek at Saturday's Creative Card Buffet. I hope you will come and join me for a fun and relaxed time with me in my home studio. Please contact me to reserve your spot.
Until Next Time.
Happy Stampin',
Tricia Butts