Cathedral Window Gift Tags

Hello Friends,

I am so excited to share these Cathedral Windows gift tags today! They were so fun to make! Just so many options for color and background.  One tag uses Alcohol Ink over a special surface, one uses a great Christmas stamp from Stampers Anonymous, and yet another used a product we have had in the idea-ology line for many years (it just doesn't get used enough in my book!).  You can find the step-out tutorial over on the Simon Says Stamp blog with all the "how-to" information!

These were really fun to make - I love working small because you can add so much detail!  I hope you will stop by the Simon blog to see all the details!

Now carry on,

paula

Simon Says Stamp - Be Brave

Hi all,

I have a new project tutorial over on the Simon Says Stamp blog today!  I hope you'll pop over to see how I created this Etcetera Tag with new Alcohol Lift-Ink.  

I love the way the tag turned out using such rich colors of Alcohol Ink and the Glorious Bouquet stamp from Stampers Anonymous.  Don't you?

To see the tutorial click HERE.

now carry on,

paula

Alcohol Ink Storage Tin

Hi all,

I am so happy I took the time to fix a problem (of my own making btw).  I previously printed out the Alcohol Ink color chart from the Ranger website and placed it in a page protector for a reference when I use my Alcohol Inks.  However, when I was working on a project, I would take out a bunch of colors from multiple tins (you need three to fit all the colors in) and then I couldn't figure out where to put them back.   So last night I decided to take the time to color code the bottom of each slot so I would know where in the heck each color goes.  Problem solved.  Thank you Ranger.
Seriously, why in the heck did I not do this right from the beginning?

Alcohol Ink color chart 

All other color charts

now carry on,

paula

Alcohol Lift-Ink

Hi Everyone!
I spent some time this week experimenting with the new Alcohol Lift-Ink that was just released from Tim Holtz/Ranger.  What an awesome new product!  It takes a few tries to get the steps down, but that is a typical learning curve on a new product.  Also released were larger sheets of white Yupo and new heavystock Yupo.

For the record, Ranger now has 4 Yupo products:
5 x 7" transparent (thinest and somewhat see through)
5 x 7" white cardstock (heavier than transparent - you cannot see through it)
5 x 7" white heavystock (even heavier - blue label)
8 x 10" white cardstock (new larger size)

Tim also has a post he created after the Facebook Live on Wednesday.  The Facebook Live video + information/samples are on his blog.  You can find it HERE.

Now sit down in a comfortable chair, pour yourself a Diet Coke or a cup of tea...this is a long one because once I got started, I couldn't stop!

Alcohol Lift-Ink Pad

I used Yupo white cardstock (my normal go-to weight of Yupo) for all of the Alcohol Ink surfaces in this post.  If you haven't used Yupo before, all you need to know is that Yupo is a NON-POROUS SURFACE...which is perfect for Alcohol Ink.  It is pricey so I usually cut each sheet in half to 3 1/2 x 5", which is what I have done for each of the cards I created.

I dripped a few colors of Alcohol Ink over the surface, then used a Blending Tool with FELT to pounce over the surface and blend the colors a bit.  Love the combination on Patina, Flamingo, Dandelion and Citrus.

Once you have your surface ready, you can use the Lift-Ink on a CLEAN stamp (like the flower below) and stamp directly over the Alcohol Ink.  The ink will "lift" the Alcohol Ink off the surface which can then be transferred to another surface if you wish.  The second surface MUST BE A POROUS SURFACE like watercolor paper, specialty stamping paper or Heavystock paper.

NOTE: I'm going to be honest, I found that I needed to have my second surface ready to stamp on right after I lifted the ink, not because I couldn't let it sit, but because I would forget and wipe the stamp off just out of habit.  That is me and maybe you would be smart enough to remember to stamp it later and not wipe it off like me.  Just a friendly warning.

So here is the freshly stamped Yupo surface.  The first thing you need to do is grab a clean paper towel and dab, dab, dab, (do not rub) turning the paper towel to a clean spot each time.  You will see the image start to appear as the residual Lift-Ink is dabbed away.   Once you are seeing the paper towel coming clean, you can move to the next step.
What happens if you skip this step?  When you buff the surface in the next step you will move the residual ink to other areas and your image could come out blurry.  That is not what you want so remember, dabbing is important!

Next, rub over the image with a soft cotton towel.  Now I'm sure you could you use another clean paper towel for this step, but I like the soft towel for the finish.  The light buffing will fully reveal the ghost image.

Adding another layer of stamping is easy.  This time I used the fabulous script stamp from the Entomology set.
Again, follow the steps:
1. Ink CLEAN stamp with Alcohol Lift-Ink (a dirty stamp will contaminate your stamp pad).
2. Stamp over a NON-POROUS Alcohol Ink Surface.
3. Dab, dab, dab with paper towel (DO NOT RUB...only dab)
4. Buff with a soft cloth.
5. If you wish, stamp a secondary surface before cleaning the stamp with Archival Ink Cleaner and water.  (This is the part where Paula cleans her text stamp before stamping the image on the secondary surface - insert crying emoji).

 I used the Stamp Platform to add an sentiment to the front (from Glorious Bouquet set)

To create the easy card, I used foam squares to mount the Yupo card onto Distress Watercolor cardstock and then added it to the card backing.  I used Tim Holtz Craft Thread to wrap around the side three times and tie a tiny metal heart into the bow.

So, remember I created this piece using Specialty Stamping paper and the stamped images from the last card (sans the Etomology script that never made it to the card front - uggg)

 I used the Stacked Deckle and some metallic cardstock to make a frame for the flower images.

I saw Audrey Pettit scuff metallic cardstock in a diagonal direction and then repeat it going the opposite way so it creates a kind of crosshatch effect.  I loved it then and I'm still using that technique today.

As you can see, I used a stencil, Blending Brush and Gathered Twigs Distress Ink to add a background around the flowers.
The sentiment stamp is from the Stampers Anonymous "Pennants" stamp set.
An easy card created from the "lifted" Alcohol Ink...that's what I call a great "twofer".

 The hanging heart is from the Adornments Milagros set.

The next Yupo surface was created using some darker colors of Alcohol Ink: Willow, Patina, Stream and Wild Plum.  So fun to experiment with the colors!

Here we go with the same process.
1. Ink CLEAN stamp with Alcohol Lift-Ink.

2. Stamp over a NON-POROUS Alcohol Inked Surface.   This is what it looked like just after stamping...just a slight image.

3. Dab, dab, dab with paper towel removing the residual ink.

4. Buff with a soft cloth.

And the finish result using the Flourish stamp.

5. If you wish, stamp a secondary surface before cleaning the stamp.

Can you get a second impression?  Yes you can, it is just very subtle over Heavystock tags.  If I had stamped on Specialty Stamping paper it would have been brighter (see With All My Heart card up above...you can see the secondary stamps mixed with the original stamped images).

To create another easy card, I die cut the Yupo sheet with the Mixed Media Thinlit to get the harlequin pattern.  I added foam squares under the Yupo and mounted it on black cardstock.  The metal prize ribbon which I thought was appropriate for the card is from the Adornments Ribbons and Bows pack.  I used Rose Gold and Mushroom Alcohol Ink to color the silver metal.

The word Thanks is from Shadow Script 2 set.  Black cardstock for the shadow and watercolor paper for the word.  I used a Waterbrush and Distress Ink to color it.  From the Heart is from the Clippings stickers (BEST sticker pack in the world - I can ALWAYS find the right saying on one of the four sheets).

 

 

 Now remember this?

 

I put that piece to good use, using the Stacked Archway Thinlit dies to cut the stamped tag as well as metallic cardstock.  I inked edges then rubbed Collage Medium over the stamped surface and sprayed Antique Linen Distress Stain Spray right into the glue, then dried it with a Heat Tool.

The flowers were created using Watercolor cardstock and the Funky Florals 2 Thinlit set.
To color the flowers, I used a Waterbrush a Distress Ink in Victorian Velvet, Faded Jeans and Scattered Straw.  All the green is Peeled Paint (the best green ever).
Collage Medium and Clear Rock Candy were added for a sparkly look.
The metal 4 leaf clover is from the Adornments Treasures...same pack as the small heart found on the earlier card.

Butterfly - Layers Botanical
Lucky - Quote Chips
My grateful heart - Clippings stickers

 So that is four cards using Alcohol Lift-Ink in the pad form...but there is also liquid Lift-Ink!

Liquid Alcohol Lift-Ink

Start with an Alcohol Ink Non-porours surface just like last time.  The colors here are Citrus, Patina, and Coral.

Using a Blending Tool with a FOAM pad, add a SMALL amount of the Alcohol Lift-Ink.  I took a picture just to show you how little you need to add to the foam.  A little goes a long way! 

Pounce the foam on your surface a few times to distribute the ink into the foam pad.

Lay your stencil over the Yupo and pounce the Blending Tool over the stencil.  Again, it does not take much pouncing to product a light ghost image (remember this is only the first step).  Just a note, if you had added an excess of the Lift-Ink to the Blending Foam, the ink could seep under the stencil and blur the edges.  So beware...you don't need much to get a clear crisp image.

Now you are ready for Step 3...dab, dab, dab.

and step 4, rub with a soft cloth.  The ghost effect is awesome and so easy to create.

I added the text exactly the same way as I did before.  

Super Easy to create this little piece using the Yupo background and a Baseboard Frame.  All the other idea-ology products can be found below.

Well, I hope you took something from this post that will help you once you get the Lift-Ink.  I am quite sure I have only scratched the surface of this fascinating new product but I'll leave it at that for today.  

now carry on,

paula

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The Bauble Tree

Hi Everyone!

You can find me today over on the Simon Says Stamp blog showing how I made this cute little Bauble Tree!  It might just be my favorite Christmas project this year!  So pop on over to see the step by step tutorial on how I created it!
cheers!
paula

"Believe" Count Down Calendar

Hi everyone!  Glad to be back here on the blog with an easy Count Down Calendar for the Tim Holtz Holiday Inspiration series.  Follow along and I'll show you what I made!

Start with the small size Vignette Tray (they come two in a pack - one large one small).  Turn it over and paint the sides and up onto the back with black soot Distress Paint.  Let dry.

Adhere paper from the idea-ology Mini Paper Stash Christmas (8 x 8") with Collage Medium.  The paper is cut smaller than the wood front because I wanted the black edge to create a faux "frame" for the pretty paper.  A brayer ALWAYS helps to smooth out the paper on a hard surface.

I used a stencil from the Stampers Anonymous Mini Set #31 and Distress Grit-Paste to create a great pattern for the background. 

I also wanted to give the Grit-Paste a little shine, so while it was still wet I poured Distress Glitter Dust over the top.  You have to work fast since the paste dries rather quickly!

It leaves a bit of shine over each star which I thought was fun.  Remember to leave it to dry for at least 30 minutes (and do not use a heat tool).

While the Grit-Paste is drying I thought I'd work on the numbers for the count down calendar.  I'm using the Transparent Tiles Christmas for this project.  They come in a pack of 48 pieces - alpha and numeric.  The pack has two sets of numbers, which is perfect since you need two of the number 1 and 2 for a calendar.  The pack also has a star card I thought could used on single digit days (you will see later). 
To turn them gold, I pounced gold Mixative Alcohol Ink over the BACK of each card and let it dry.  Again, do not use a heat tool as it is VERY easy to overheat the plastic card, which in turn will curl up like a Pringle potato chip...and we don't want that to happen!  Just walk away for 10 minutes to let completely them dry!

You may not of seen this great little pack of hardware that was released in the summer.  It is called the Vignette Hardware pack and it's like one stop shopping for the hardware we all need when working with Vignette Boxes or Trays.  The pack comes with screw eyes, hooks, nails, and long screws (long screws are used to convert idea-ology wheels and knobs so they can be used with Vignette Trays and Boxes).

I decided the small hooks would work perfectly for this project.

I placed the numbers on the tray to get the spacing needed, then used a nail to start the hole (I just tapped it a couple times with a small hammer).  I pulled out the nail and inserted the hook, screwing it into place.  Super simple.

 This is how it looks from the side.

To hang the numbers they need to have a hole.  Just mark the center point (easy to do with Tim's ruler) and punch a small hole.  I made sure I kept the hole near the edge since my hooks are small.

I guess you could hang all the numbers on the hooks, but realistically if you are going to count down, I'd rather keep them in dish nearby or in a envelope on the back of the tray.

To build the focal point of the tray, I started with the Quote Chip "Believe", adding it to the bottom of the green Baseboard.  Foam squares were added to the back and it was added to the tray front.

I thought a Small Woodland Tree would be cute in the center of the Baseboard, but before you can add the tree... you need to give it a haircut so it can sit flat against the surface.

Using your fingertip, tap Collage Medium on all the bristles.  Sprinkle Clear Rock Candy over the tree to create faux snow.  Let dry.

My tree needs some ornaments!  I picked the smallest beads from the Baubles pack, coloring them with Mushroom Alcohol ink.  Using a Blending Tool with felt allows you to pounce over the bead to get different tones of brown and thereby creating a great vintage look.  Quite the difference in the before and after!

I like to squirt a little Glossy Accents directly into the tree, then push the bead into the glue.

I also wanted to add some color and texture to the Baseboard so I cut a few pieces using the Festive Greens Thinlit and the new little Sidekick machine.  These are the perfect kind of dies for this machine - thin and small in scale!  I can set the small machine on my work surface, lower the lever that creates suction to my table top and I'm ready to die cut these tiny pieces.  Just that simple.

 I added Clear Rock Candy over the bow and the tips of the berries for a little sparkle.

NOTE: I cut the bow twice and glued it together to give it a bit more weight before adding the Clear Rock Candy.

I used hot glue to add the tree to the Baseboard.  I also tucked a bit of Warm and Natural batting right above the Quote Chip to mimic as snow below the tree.  I added one of my favorite Christmas embellishments, a Fluted Star to the top of the tree (it's really right behind the tree - glued to the Baseboard).

I wiped some red paint onto the Mini Hardware knob and let it dry.  I took out the screw that comes with the knob and replaced it with the longer one from the Hardware pack.   I used a drill to create a hole at the top of the tray and add the knob.

I love the way it turned out!  Definitely a project that could be done in just a few hours once all the supplies are at hand.

I think my favorite part is the way the Transparent Tiles turned out with the gold Alcohol Ink.  The gold really did transform them into something special.

Hope you will give this project a go! 

Carry on,
paula