I’ve needed some material for “Boy” cards ever since my four great-grandsons appeared on the scene.  This means that it has taken me six years to get specific stamps and dies that would appeal to little boys.  I know… slo-o-o-w..!

Then I found these cute stamps from Paper Nest Dolls (www.papernestdolls.com) and I am loving them.  The stamp designer’s sample projects combined two things I hadn’t thought to put together; the frilly and the cartoon.  They were lovely and I was hooked.  You’ll have to check them out on her blog because…

My first efforts have to be directed towards cards for my great-grands; the girly cards will have to wait a little bit.  I chose the little dragon from this set to get started.

(I can hardly wait to do the girly ones with the frills of flowers and lace that I love, as well as the pastel papers. Stay tuned…)

Now to turn this into a learning experience for my class.

I had just taken a class at a local paper crafts store involving techniques using water color pens from Marvy LePlume which seemed ideal for this project.  I don’t want to say it is easy but, if all you want to do is add some color to a stamped image occasionally, this is certainly easier and less expensive than Copic markers.  I had to work it out little by little.  Here are examples of my progress in determining which way to go to get a reasonable result.

Remember, if you click on any photo, it will be enlarged so you can see the image better.

I will still be adding one more step for my class, which is to stamp the image with Versamark and use dark brown embossing powder to outline the image.  For those who don’t know, embossing powder contains tiny beads of plastic that melt under a heat gun and stick to the surface of the paper.  Versamark is a clear glycerine based “ink” that you stamp with and it holds this fine powdered plastic in place while it is being heated.  The result is an image that is slightly raised and totally waterproof.  When we paint, the watercolor will stay within those “walls” of melted embossing powder and will not bleed color into our paint, which was something I was having an issue with.  (There are other ways of tackling this using particular inks that aren’t water reactive but this is new for me and I’m not ready to invest in those products just yet.)

We will also be making our background paper for the Little Dragon with Ranger Distress Inks, which are water-based inks,.  My ladies really get into this when we start flinging water and ink around to make our own designer paper.  (Hmmm… note to self… remind ladies to wear aprons or old t-shirts to class this week..!)

I hope you like my Little Dragon.  I did my best to make him appealing and I, personally, am a happy camper about how he turned out.  I can’t wait to see how my ladies’ take on this comes out.  Their personal adaptations always surprise me in the most wonderful ways..!

Let me hear from you..!  I love to get comments; the more the merrier…

Blessings and hugs, y’all..!

I think these Shutter Cards are so ingenious..!  I love them and I know anyone receiving it will appreciate the work that goes in to making it.

My craft room drawers are filled with a collection of hot beverage stamps, dies, and embossing folders.  I have only scratched the surface with this cute card but plan to work on getting some other Coffee/Tea/Hot Cocoa cards out there.  It is something I think a lot of people can relate to and enjoy.  Most of us have a friend who is a fiend about their tea or their coffee…  I have a friend from Ireland so I know it isn’t just the Starbuck’s fans!

Today in my class we will be doing this card.  I saw the videos for making a shutter card and had to give it a try even though I know it is a tiny bit complicated.  I even had the designer paper in my stash, what luck!  So, I did a lot of the prep work myself and put the kits together for the ladies to try.  I think they will love it..

This is certainly not an original idea.  There are tons of YouTube videos out there for shutter cards of various types.  My first inspiration came from JanB, a Stampin’ Up dealer from the UK.  Then I went on to several others, looking for something the ladies would find easy to follow.  

I found the most concise and clear instructions for the shutter card on YouTube at Handmade by Diana, if you should happen to want to try it..

Two versions…

These were two cards I designed for our class to create during our November session.  I had seen the style on the right where the images seem to fade away with the second and third generation stamping and later found the idea of putting decoupage medium on dryer sheets and sprinkling it with glitter before attaching it to the same fade-away style image.

My Spellbinders Heirloom Oval Die created the white frame, an Inkadinkadoo stamp set called Trees provided the forest and the deer.  Heaven only knows about that stamp set; it was given to me by a friend of a friend and may have been discontinued long ago.  Besides the silver craft paper, I use white and several shades of blue.  The same is true of the inks and embossing powders I used.

The flowy, soft, smooth bow can only be done with real silk ribbon (Really Reasonable Ribbon).  Nothing else has the drape of real silk.  Rayon seam binding comes close but has a rougher texture that sometimes doesn’t seem appropriate for the card being made. This was 1/4 inch white silk ribbon twined on a Becca Feeken Bow Maker and teased down to one side.

So, listen up crafty ladies.  We will be working on a feminine Valentine’s Day Tag Album tomorrow.  These will be shorter tags than we’ve worked with in the past and will be comprised of only 4 tags.  That is 8 sides.  We will decorate one side and have a spot for a picture or a favorite quote on the other.  You can make the album for yourself, if you like, as a remembrance of some special person or occasion…  or words to live by.  Think about it and join us tomorrow with some ideas to share.

Please be sure to comment below…  it makes my day!  Blessings & Hugs, y’all..!!

Winter is definitely the time for hugs and snuggles.  There are birthdays & anniversaries to celebrate, achievements to recognize, sniffles to sympathize about… a card makes everyone feel heartwarmingly special.  That’s what we aim to do with our creations.

My crafty friends will see that most of this card came from bits and pieces of kits from the craft store.  All I needed to add was a 5″ x 6 1/2″ white card base, a layer of 4 1/2″x 6″ pale pink cardstock and some dimensional foam pieces behind the front layer of houses.  The card was embellished with a pink ribbon around the grey card layer and the word “hugs” settled in below the ribbon.  

I am really having fun with my after-Christmas finds from Michael’s.  I found no such delights at Joann’s or Hobby Lobby…  believe me, I tried..!  Tomorrow I will see how my Paper Dolls (the name we have chosen for our class members) will use these materials.

Sometimes, they surprise me …

This is the beginning of our New Year… 2017.  I see this as my chance to catch up with posting the cards I’ve made in the past several months… and I decided to start fresh with my entry for the New Year 2017 and then work my way back into 2016.  Hang in there with me!

For the ladies in my class, we will be starting off at the Senior Center on January 5, 2017 (usual time and place).  I am looking forward to seeing you all again.  It has been a busy holiday time for everyone, I’m sure.  Time to relax with your friends and get creative!

This card was inspired by my little penguin friend here. While going through the Christmas sale items at Michaels, I found a box full of Christmas tags at a 70% reduction. Little Mr.Penguin was featured on one set in the box.  Actually, there were two penguins facing each other and carrying a pile of gift boxes.  I separated the bits on the small tags and used all the penguins for my large New Year’s tags.  The little pile of glittery gift boxes will come in handy for cards at the end of this year.  And, there are still 7 more tag sets in the box to be dissected and used!

My “Cheers” stamp and my “Fireworks” stamp were both from the sale bin at Michael’s. The background stamp “Scattered Dots” is from Impression Obsession Rubber Stamps. I used gold and a glittery white embossing powder on the black background paper; then, silver on the white paper which was torn to create a deckle edge and the impression of a snowy bank where Mr. Penguin stands.  Black sparkly embossing powder was used on the “Cheers” section and it was edged with a black Sharpie pen and raised up with dimensional foam bits. The ribbon is one of those pieces I couldn’t part with but don’t remember where it came from.  My best guess is Hobby Lobby for the ribbon since it is the place I always find the best selection and price on ribbon.  I hit their shelves when ribbon is 50% off and stock up…

I loved this whimsical little guy the minute I saw him and hope you enjoy him as much as I did.  Blessings & Hugs, y’all…