Bad Blog Mommy!

I know, I know, I am a bad blog mommy! I'm so sorry, it has been a stressful and hectic few weeks around here. My co-leader for our family support group for DH's company is on vacation. rightfully so too, her DH is home on leave (mine comes home in March on leave, and then will be home for good in June). So she has been taking a much needed vacation and so I have been left to handle everything that crops up. Needless to say I have been a little stressed. To top that off, physical therapy has had some set backs this last week so my pain level with my back and shoulder have been sky high. But it is better today so that's good.


Anyhow, I do have some things to share with you. My brother-in-law (Dh's youngest brother) is getting married this weekend. I wanted to make them something nice as a wedding gift. So I chose to do this:

I know, I know, that doesn't exactly show you what it was that I did for them. But, in my defense, I can't show you. I am a member of the Blue Prints Design Team on ASB and this was a project for this weeks technique. So, if you want to see the finished project, you have to scoot on over to ASB and sign up for Blue Heaven.

But I can share with you the card that I made for them. It doesn't match the gift. The gift is for their kitchen so was done in their kitchen colors. I did the card in their wedding colors. Erin, my future Sister-In-Law chose Sugar Plum (I am assuming that is a light plum but I didn't know so I went with Perfect Plum and Pale Plum just to cover my basis) and what she called Sage. However when I got her wedding invitation tied with the "sage" ribbon she had chosen (exactly what I used on the card) the ribbon was more Mellow Moss. I swear, I have never met her and I had nothing to do with their color choices. LOL Funny enough though, she is like me in oh so many ways. Not only does she love purple and green like I do, but she is a red head as well and she acts a lot like me from what I am told. Heaven help BIL if she trully is like me though. LOL

O.k. so I promised the card, well, here you go:

I stamped the outside with "Wishing You" and the inside was stamped with "Happiness Always".

I used French Script, Wishing You, and Happy Harmony from SU. I used Perfect Plum ink and marker, Pale Plum Ink, and Mellow Moss Marker as well as Staz-On black ink. I used Perfect Plum, Pale Plum, Mellow Moss and Very Vanilla Cardstock, and Hodge Podge peices and Ribbon. Oh yeah, and the photo corner punch. What do ya think! I like them!

Technique Monday

O.k so technically it's actually Tuesday seeing as how it's 12:30. Sorry, wasn't much up to stamping earlier and then I accidentally took a nap and lo and behold, here it is, after midnight and I am wide awake. So, what better to do then stamp right? LOL

So, the technique that I have for you this week is one of my favorites. It's called Blurred Visions, And I love doing this one with the Delight In Life set from this past years SAB. So here it is:

For this card I semi-recreated one of my favorite cards I have ever done using the same technique and same stamp set. This time I changed the ribbon placement, added some ribbon, and changed the colors. Oh, and did some paper piercing and changed the sentiment.

So, here is how you do this technique.

First, you will need a dye based ink (I used SU Basic Black Classic, it's older so it looks purple which with the colors I chose works LOL). It will run when moist and that is what you want it to do. Also you will need an outline stamp set, and the rest of your regular supplies.

Now, to blur your focal image, all you need to do is stamp it using your Dye ink, and then take a water tool, (I prefer to use Blender pens for this because it doesn't get too moist, but you can use a brushed off aquapainter or watercolor brush, just becareful not to get too much water-that would be why I prefer the Blender pen) Then in a circular motion you want to lightly blend your ink out from your image.

Finish your card as desired. For mine, I stamped the Aida BG onto my Pale Plum CS and I attached it to the BB piece. Then I tied some black double stitched ribbon (bought at a craft store) to the piece. Tied another piece of ribbon in a bow and then I attached it to my card. I then attached the focal piece which I mounted on BB CS onto the card. Then I took out my paper piercer and pierced holes in the bottom. Then I stamped my sentiment and there you have it! It literally took 4 minutes, that included getting the supplies to make it.

And there you have it, Blurred Vision.

Tonight I also stamped some images for my mom. My mom is the secretary in her wards (congregation) Releif Society (women's organization) at church. She makes cards for all the ladies birthdays. She has very limited supplies right now because she has just recently discovered the wonderful world of card making. I have been trying to brainwash her, errr show her how fun it can be, for years now. She came to see me last year and we stamped a little. She was hooked! She now goes into stores and sees items in a whole new light. Yay!! the brainwashing, errr convincing worked! *snort* Anyhow, since she still has limited supplies, I told her I would stamp some images for her for the next few months. I also decided to color them for her so she will just need to cut them out and peice her card together. So for the rest of the Sept. birthday's I used the sunflower from Give Thanks (SU), for October, I used the pumpkin, also from Give Thanks. I switched stamp sets for November and used the leaf and acorns from Country Blessings (retired SU), and rounding out the images, December with Snowflakes (sadly, retired SU, I love this set). The snowflakes I just stamped randomly in various shades of blue (my favorite thing to do with this set) so that she could just cut different sizes for her cards, maybe do a one sheet wonder or something. Anyhow, here is a pic of all the images together:

Faux Framing

The technique for this week is Faux framing! I haven't done this technique in ages. It's so fun!

Here's what you do:

1. Take some copy paper (regular computer/printer paper) and cut a frame using a cutting system. I used the Colluzzle and the oval template. My copy paper was the same size as my card. This is your frame.

2. Attach your copy paper to your card stack (I just did a white card base) using a small amount of adhesive. This is so that while you are stamping your frame doesn't slide around. The adhesive can be removed later with adhesive remover.

3. Next you want to stamp your images onto your card. Overlap some of the images so that they go over the frame.

4. Before removing the frame you can sponge ink around the frame.

5. Remove your frame and then color your images and finish your card as desired.

I also used the masking technique for my foliage to make it appear that the cattails were behind the turtle. I used Small Script for the sentiment.

Supplies:

White CS, Copy Paper, Colluzzle Cutting System, Black Staz On Ink, Brocade Blue Ink, Sponge, Small Script Stamp Set from SU, Turtle and Cattails from Artful Inkables, Colored Pencils.

I had to use my new stamps from Artful Inkables avaliable through Starving Artists Stamps. My sweet friend Kristin is such an amazing artist and the Turtle and Cattails stamps are her creations. Check out the Artful Inkables Collection Here. So, where is my creation? Well right here!