Embossing with Multiple Colors

April 2, 2012 at 9:37 pm (Clear Stamping Techniques, Stamped Craft Ideas, Tips and Tricks)
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This has become a favorite heat embossing technique!!! It involves using 3-5 embossing powders per design. Learn how to do this super simple but absolutely beautiful technique on your own!

MATERIALS NEEDED TO DO THIS TECHNIQUE:

  • clear hobby rubber stamp – medium to large design
  • 3-5 embossing powders
  • heat embossing gun
  • cardstock, glass, metal or other stamping medium that is safe to heat emboss on
  • embossing ink
  • clear acrylic stamping block

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Peel your clear acrylic stamp from the carrier sheet and place it on the clear stamping block.
  2. Ink the design in the embossing ink and stamp the image onto your surface. If your design requires more than one impression of the image, so all the impressions before proceeding to the next step.
  3. Sprinkle tiny amounts of embossing powder onto the impression(s). Dump off the excess being careful to not allow the powders to slide around too much. Repeat this step with each embossing color you wish to use, covering a small portion of the image with teach color.
  4. Heat the powders and watch them blend together with fascinating results.
  5. With that the embossing portion of your project is complete.
Happy Stamping!!!

 

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Christmas Advent Calendar – Tis the Season for Family

October 3, 2011 at 3:35 pm (Christmas Crafts, Stamped Craft Ideas)
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With time marching swiftly forward and Christmas looming ever closer, we decided to highlight a Christmas Advent Calendar with a Family focus.

Each square on this board is mounted on a small nail so that the card can be turned over as each day before Christmas passes to reveal a family photo.

To make this advent Calendar your will need:

  • Clear Number Rubber Stamps
  • Sayings Clear Rubber Stamps
  • Ink for distressing
  • 3-4 coordinating patterned scrapbook paper
  • Solid Heavy Card stock
  • Access to a laminating machine
  • die cut letters for the heading
  • 16″ x 26″ board – 1/2″ – 3/4″ thick
  • 1″ finishing nails
  • hammer
  • Modge Podge
  • Acrylic paint (we used a dark brown)
  • Paint brush or foam brush
  • Family photos measuring 2 3/4″x 2 3/4″
  • Small circle punch or eyelet setter

To make this project:

  1. Prepare your board by sanding the edges (and the surface if needed). Paint the edges of your board in a solid color using the craft paint. Be sure to extend the painting area to cover a 2″ border on the front of your board.
  2. Using modge podge and scrapbook paper begin covering the surface of the board. When using large pieces of paper with modge podge first cover the board with modge podge and then add the paper. Distress or tear the edges if you desire. Allow the first coat of modge podge to dry, then cover the entire surface again. This eliminates bubbles and undesired creases. Set your board aside to dry.
  3. Cut 24 squares from your heavy card stock measuring 2 3/4″ x 2 3/4″. Cut 6-8 squares from the patterned scrapbook paper measuring 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″.  Distress the edges with Ink if desired. Glue these pieces onto the heavy card stock allowing the card stock to mat the patterned scrapbooking paper. Lay out your cards in a 3 x 8 grouping to decide on the placement of each patterned piece.
  4. Using your Clear Number Rubber Stamps  begin stamping the numbers from 1 to 24into the corner of each square. Enhance each square with family words or designs stamped on with your Sayings Clear Rubber Stamps and other favorite clear stamps you wish to use.
  5. Cut your family photos to measure exactly 2 3/4″ x 2 3/4″. Glue them onto the backs of your numbered cards. Laminate all the cards and trim. Using a small hole punch or eyelet setter, punch a hole in the top center portion of each card and lay out onto the board. The three rows of eight should fill the bottom portion of the board leaving room for the title at the top. As you put the nails in ensure that the spacing is correct, the cards are centered and will hang straight.
  6. Using your die cut letters (if you have a cricut you may wish to use vinyl) secure your title to the top of the board using modge podge. We further enhanced our board by adding a bead of glitter around the edges of the letters in the word FAMILY. Add bling, ribbons or anything else you desire to further enhance your board.

Happy Crafting!!!

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Rubber Stamping on Smeared Ink

March 31, 2009 at 8:51 pm (Card making Tutorials, Nature)
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WOW! I can’t believe I am finally ready to write this tutorial. I have had 6 appointments between 9:00 last night and 1:00 this afternoon with at least 3 more before the day is out! I am so excited about this technique, though that I can’t wait to share it with you. It is soooo easy! If you can smear ink you can do this!

countryfeeling

Here are the step by step techniques that you can use to make a smeared ink card of your own!  I used a lot of colors. Starting with the dark green for the hill, use your small ink pads to rub in the shape of a hill.

step11Next add the light green below the dark green. The lighter you rub the ink pad on the paper the lighter the color you will get.

step21Fill in the bottom left hand corner with a rust or dark orange ink. This is the brush or plants that you see in the picture. (You may substitute any other color that you wish to use at any time in the process.)

step31Next I added a little depth to the brush (rust orange color) by smearing a little pink on top.

step4Next it is time to fill in the sky. I actually used two colors of blue but it is not necessary for the final outcome.

step5For the colors of the sunset add some pink in the center of the picture above the horizon.

step6I actually added a little purple around the pink and down in the brush which you can see in the next photo.

Now it is time to define the horizon a little more.  You can do this quite easily with the edge of your regular stamp pads as they are rigid – not foam. Begin making short random horizontal lines at the base of the hill. Turn the paper the other way if you desire and make short vertical lines to imitate fence posts in the distance.

step7Your background is now complete! It is time to stamp the foreground images into your picture.

Using the Nature Clear Rubber Stamps begin stamping leaves across the sky so that it appears you are standing under a tree and the branches are stretching toward the sunset within your view.

Use a combination of stamps if you like as you build your tree.

step8Add twigs and branches between the leaves for a more complete tree. Once you are happy with your tree, use a black pen or marker and outline the bottom half of each leaf or branch. This adds depth and interest to the project.

step9On my picture I decided I wanted the look of a path coming down toward the trunk of the tree. To do this I used the edge of the dark ink pad.

Next I began creating the brush in the bottom corner. Using your nature  clear stamps and the same ink that the tree was stamped in, I created the brush. Remember that these stamps are so versatile that you can bend them into the shape that you need to create your card.

step10With this done you may choose to ink the edges in the dark ink or use it as it is. Create it into a card design and enjoy the finished results! It is as simple as that!

sunsetsplendorHopefully you will have fun just smearing ink for your rubber stamping projects. For the above card I designed a card insert that was perfect to finish the card.

smearedbackgroundHappy Stamping!!!

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Moonlit Palm – Rubber Stamped Card Making Tutorial

March 14, 2009 at 6:30 pm (Card making Tutorials, Cards, Nature)
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moonlit-palmThis is a fun tropical themed card making craft that is designed primarily with one clear rubber stamp – Tropical.ssc016-tropical-set The steps to this design are simple and easy and with a little practice, anyone can do them. I love the limitlessness to stamping creativity that this techniques provides in my card making hobby. Here is how I did it.

STEP ONE – The Moon and Sky

tropical1Simply cut a small circle and lightly adhere it to the top portion of a piece of white cardstock. I inked the edges of the circle only so that it would show up in the picture. Now with a medium to dark blue begin sponging ink onto the top of the page above and around the circle.

tropical2

STEP TWO – The Horizon and water

tropical31Next turn your page over so the sky is on the bottom. Cover it with a straight edged scrap paper and begin inking in the water. This will create your horizon. Remember as you do this to ink around where the reflection of the moon in the water will be in an arc spreading color to the sides of the paper.

tropical5Remove the circle from the sky leaving a white moon over the water.

STEP THREE – The Island and the Palm Tree

tropical6Place a paper with a straight edge under the area where you want your island. Sticky notes work great for this as they will not move while you sponge color onto the paper.

tropical8Using a dark color begin sponging in your island. With a medium green ink sponge in a lighter patch to create the look of light hitting the foliage.

tropical10Using the trunk from the Tropical Clear Hobby Rubber Stamp Set, place it on your acrylic block with a slight bend in it. Be sure to turn it over and check that you don’t have too much or too little of a curve. Ink the trunk and stamp it onto the island.

tropical11Ink the top part of the palm tree with the same color you used for the trunk. Before stamping ink the edges of foliage with the lighter green to create the illusion of light hitting the palm fronds. Stamp in some dark foliage at the bottom of the tree if you desire.

STEP FOUR – The Reflection & Finishing

tropical13Stamp a second generation image of the trunk in the water below the island. Be sure to bend it in the other direction to give you a true reflection. Using your sponge drag some really dry ink below the island to create a shadow in the water as well.

This picture is finished with a leafy border using the same color of ink as the trunk of the tree. The Tropical Clear Stamps will create a border that surrounds your picture if you like. For my project I just put it down one side. Next I inked the edges in the same dark color and made it into the Moonlit Palm Card idea that is pictured at the top.

For the actual card I used the hibiscus flower design to pattern the card stock. Then after matting my inked art design I placed it on the card and embellished with ribbon and an embossed sentiment on a metal tag.

If you love nature you will find yourself delighted with the results of sponged ink backgrounds and rubber stamping natures details. Use your imagination to create your own unique stamped art ideas. You may even adapt them to some of your scrapbook pages…

PS: The Tropical Clear Rubber Stamp set is no longer available, but we wanted to leave this post here for a reference on how to make absolutely fabulous scenic cards. Happy Stamping!!!!

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