February 16th, 2010

greeting card using image created with a stamp and the resist technique I’ve made a video demonstrating how to do the resist technique in stamping.  This is a familiar technique to experienced stampers. However, those new to the art form may find this informative.

The supplies and tools needed to use the resist technique are:  a stamp (rubber, acrylic, foam or otherwise), watermark ink, dye ink, glossy paper and a brayer such as the  Ranger Carvable Brayer 6 in. large.

A heat gun is handy to use, but you can make do without it for this technique.

The stamp I used to demonstrate the resist technique is an Anna Griffin stamp by All Night Media. The other stamp, which is stamped directly on the paper, is Sing, Laugh, Hope by PrintWorks.

Here is the video demonstration:

The resist technique can create lovely effects, suitable for both a major embellishment,  as I did in the video, or suitable for making wonderful backgrounds that display other embellishments.

You can, of course, produce more complex effects than I have done. For one example, you could blend two or more colors of die inks rather than use just one.  You can also produce resist techniques using other media.

I have heard of people drawing or writing images using a white crayon, then coloring over it with die ink for example.

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January 12th, 2010

simple stamped birthday card I made this simple, stamped birthday card at a make and take at Making Memories last week. Making Memories is a scrapbook and stamp store in Burnaby, BC.

Because of issues with my cursed scanner, some parts of this card show as blue. That is incorrect. The blue parts should be cream and the ribbon should be orange.

The card is simple, fast and attractive. It could easily be modified for a Valentine or any other theme.

The two stamped images are done on vellum with StazOn Ink Pad: Timber Brown StazOn is one of the few inks that will dry on vellum without smearing.

The vellum is matted on yellow Bazzill Bling card stock, which is attached to a card of orange of Bazzill Bling orange card stock.

Quite a nice little card, I think.

January 2nd, 2010

let it snow card from CST And yet another lovely Holiday card has arrived from my CST group.

I’m thinking I really need a new scanner. Mine seems to be distorting color so badly. In real life, the card is so much nicer than it appears here.

The background is a delicate blueish-green with snowflakes stamped in an even more delicate blue.

The sentiment is stunning. It’s stamped and heat embossed with a delicate, glittery embossing powder.  It is not black, as it appears here in the picture.

I hope the card’s creator will let me know what color and brand she used, because it is lovely.

The snowflake near the bottom is white with a faint tinge of pinkish red glitter.

Thanks for this lovely Christmas or Holiday card.

December 31st, 2009

silver and blue Christmas card Those Christmas cards from the CST group are still coming.

This beautiful silver and blue card features snowflake embossing on the metallic blue paper and a swirly embossing on the silver paper.

The star at the card top is a punched shape, I think, and the Merry Christmas is stamped in blue ink.

Another interesting feature of this card was the gorgeous envelope it came in. The envelope is hand made out of a calendar. The outside has an attractive design that could be any kind of paper, but when you open it you can see the calendar boxes inside.

I plan to save calendar pictures to make envelopes from now on. What a great idea.

Thanks to Melanie Wortman for making and sending this lovely Christmas card.

December 22nd, 2009

3D Christmas card I can barely describe this amazing Christmas card that arrived, courtesy of Jean Bircham, yet another gal in our CST Holiday Card Exchange.

This card combines so many lovely techniques — stamping, coloring with possibly Copic markers, paper cutting, paper folding, stickers, dry embossing, glitter, some kind of sparkle mist, some satiny white glue to emphasize the fur trim on the coat and collar and a large snowflake with a rhinestone in the center.

The card features an accordion fold in the inside, with a window cut out of one side.  A stamped and colored girl is placed on the inner corner of this window. When the card is closed, the stamped girl stands sedately on the front of the card. When the card is open, the girl pops out through the window, and we see a stamped and colored snowman, a large snowflake embellishment and a stamped sentiment.  Small stamped snowflakes enhance the white background.

Even the back of this card has a cute sticker.

I am amazed at the amount of work that went into this card. The precision cutting alone would have had me mumbling in my eggnog.

Many thanks, and well done!  I will be attempting to duplicate this cut before too many weeks have passed.

December 22nd, 2009

stamped Christmas card This lovely stamped Christmas card arrived yesterday. It’s another one from the CST Christmas card exchange.

Simple and elegant, this card features stamped ornaments on white card stock. The images are set on layers of coordinating scrapbook paper, and a striking white border with scalloped edges finishes it off.

The entire card is done so beautifully with such excellent workmanship.

Thanks so much to the sender.

December 19th, 2009

christmas card with stamped reindeer The most recent Christmas card to arrive from the CST card exchange is this delightful and fanciful card featuring stamped, colored and glittered reindeer.

The card is matted with brown card stock. The inside matting is a pale green that is stamped with tiny snowflakes and the sentiment “Merry Christmas.”

The stamped reindeer are matted on brown and white, and colored brown except for the red saddles and Rudolph’s red nose. A line of glitter emphasizes the snow underfoot, and a silver cord is tied on the small Rudolph tag.

This is a lovely, cheerful, whimsical card. Many thanks to Judy Preston.

December 18th, 2009

christmas card with snowflakes This morning’s mail brought this lovely snowflake Holiday card from another member of the CST (Canadian Stamp Talk) group.

This card is done on navy card stock. The outer snowflakes are stamped.

The medallion shape in the middle is a type of paper cutting. I’m not familiar with it — perhaps this is a die cut, or perhaps it is hand cut. Either way, it is intricate and lovely.

Tiny silver star stickers appear around the edges of the circle.

Thanks so much for this lovely hand made Christmas card.

December 14th, 2009

Christmas card with girl Today’s mail brought this adorable stamped Christmas card from another member of the Canada Stamp Talk email group.

The stamped image is colored with Copic markers. At least, that would be my best guess. The stamping is done on a white circle which in turn  is layered over a green circle, which in turn is layered over a red scalloped circle.

These circles are centered in the middle of green and red striped scrapbook paper, and the paper is double matted on a layer of white and red.

The red Merry Christmas sentiment is 3-D’d on the card and decorated with two red rhinestones.

I find this to be a most unusual and appealing card. What a bright and cheerful item to brighten my day.

Thanks to the sender, whose name i will include if she permits.

December 11th, 2009

two stamped Christmas cards from members of the CST card exchange Today’s mail brought these two lovely stamped Christmas cards from the CST stamp exchange.

The elegant  top card features hanging balls or ornaments stamped in navy ink on a light beige card stock. The beige is matted  on a slightly darker  brown card stock, which in turn is bordered with a silver frame.

The card itself has a solid navy card stock on top and a light brown card stock with tiny navy triangles as a border.

The sender, Christal Dueck,  included a note saying the border stencil is by Creatis.

“Seasons Greetings is a silver sticker along the right-hand side.  The card’s  inside is beautifully and simply stamped with the word Peace.

The second card, equally lovely, was a bit of a mystery to me.  That is, it was a mystery in that  didn’t know if the background paper came with the subtle shading or if the card maker colored the paper.

The card creator, Dianne King from Montreal,  kindly shared the secret: “I used smooth, white card stock and with a sponge built up layers of different blue dye inks, beginning with the lightest shade.  If I recall, the image itself was colored with alcohol markers and then I added some Twinkling H2Os to give it a bit of a shimmer,” she wrote.

Tastefully applied glitter also  appears here and there.

Tiny silver snowflakes, which I believe are stickers,  enhance the card further, and a delicate band of gold highlights the layers.  “Celebrate the Season” is stamped inside.

Thanks, ladies. These two stamped Chrismas cards are simply lovely.

It’s such fun knowing the mail carrier is bringing these lovely, hand made holiday cards instead of the usual collection of bills and junk mail.