Color for Fun and Happiness

Tri-Fold Cards

Hi!

 

I have inspired by Mark Jetton's Balloon Card that appeared in the most recent Rubber Stamp Madness. He did a tri-fold card with balloons on both sides. Love the idea and have been playing with it. Here is one of my ideas:

Fold your card stock into thirds. 

Choose stamps for the top that are symmetrical. 

You will need a stamp positioner to help get the stamp in the right place for the back side of the card. 

Stamp your three images, either all in a row or start low and work up as you move to the right. 

Cut out the top of the card, around the stamped images. 

Turn the card over, with the stamp positioner, line up your image and stamp. This is to decorate the back of the card that is visiable when the card is folded. 

Decorate the card and you are done!

For this card I used Ranger's Adirondack Dye pads and spritzed the stamp after I had inked it. This creates a watercolor effect. Only dye pads that do not dry water proof work the best for this technique. Start with your lightest color first so you don't get blue on your yellow pad!

Have fun!

Lee

Grandmother Power

Hi

 

Today's tag is in honor of mothers and grandmothers. All of whom encourage us to dream and explore. 

 

 

I started with a manila card and rubbed on the Tim Holtz rub-ons.

Then I ran the tag through puddles of Distress Stain. 

Once the card was dry I stamped the images with Ranger's Archival Ink. 

Ribbon has been dyed with Distress Stain. 

Have fun and make some art today!

 

Lee

Play Weekend

Hi Ya!

The Crafting Birder took a weekend off and went birding! My husband and I met birding, we love to get out and look for birds. 

I take my sketch book for afternoon drawing, we bird in the morning while it's cool and the birds are singing. 

We went to Alamogordo, New Mexico. The weather was great and the birds even better!

Here's a photo of Oliver Lee Memorial State Park. This park has a spring that runs year -round, an important feature in this hot dry part of the state. 

Enjoy, get outside, be inspired and make art today!

Lee

Tim Holtz May Tag 2013

Hi 

 

I played a bit with the Tim Holtz May Tag and came up with this version:

I used his rub ons in random places.

Ran the tag through puddles of Distress Stain. 

Dried the tag and then spritzed it with water. 

Dry again. 

I added a bit of Distress Ink around the edges, using a couple of different colors. 

Stamped with various stamps using Ranger's Archival Ink. 

Then added alcohol ink to the fly charm after I rubbed on the word and added alcohol ink to the number. 

The ribbon I colored with the Distress Stain. 

This one is on a white tag. You can see that the colors go pastel rather than bright. 

Have fun and make art today!

Lee

 

Back at It

Howdy

 

I am back after a week of the flu. It was nasty, I had no creative mojo in me what so ever. Seven days later I am starting to feel somewhat like my old self. 

Since I haven't done much of anything this last week, I am sharing a couple of my journal pages that I started playing with today. 

Spraying with Dylusion Ink Sprays on the page.

Then I sprayed water through a stencil on the page. 

Next I tore strips of Judikin's masking paper and laid it on the page. 

I took StampaFe Art Stamps and Archival Ink by Ranger and stamped all over the pages. 

Then, with a similar color as on the page, I sprayed the ink over everything. 

When you remove the masking paper you have cool windows to the bottom layer of color. 

Have fun with this technique and build some layers. 

Make art today!

Thanks for stopping by. 

 

Lee

Distress Paints Play Time

Howdy!

I have been playing with the new Tim Holtz Distress Paints. The metallic colors arrived this week and I have been having fun with them. 

 

I did a quick tag this morning to share  with you. 

The stamps are from StampaFe and the swirl background is a Dreamweaver Stencil. 

I put down puddles of color on my craft sheet. 

Spritzed the paint with water and ran the tag through the puddles. 

Once it was dry, I embossed the group of fish on the tag. 

Then stamped the leaves and red fish with Ranger's Archival Inks. 

The stenciled swirls are done with Distress Ink -- Salty Ocean. 

A little project to experiment with the new paints. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Have fun and make art today!

Lee

Birthday Card

Hi Ya!

Today's post is my husband's birthday card. Today is his birthday and I actually got a card made in time!

Ingredients

Dictionary Pages

Card Stock - white and green

Tim Holtz Distress Paints

Tim Holtz Frosted Film

StampaFe Rubber Stamp DB74

Ranger Glossy Accents

Saying printed on white paper with a Laser printer

Sizzix Album Accordion Flip (658035) and  Frame & Label Bracket (658037)

 

Method

Glue dictionary pages to card stock, set aside to dry.

Once it is dry, color the paper with the Distresss Paints. 

I put three puddles on my craft sheet and spritzed with water. 

Then I smushed the paper through the colors. 

Spritz the paper with water to get the paint to run. 

Set aside to dry.

DIe cut the green card stock with the Album Accordion Flip die, cut two pieces. 

Cut two pieces of the frosted film that will be a bit larger than the center piece of the Label die.

Peel off the backing of the frosted film and stick to the sayings. 

Spritz with water and gently rub off the paper. 

You should be left with the sayings, be gentle with them as you can rub off the letters. 

Die cut the now dry dictionary pages.

You will need two pieces. 

Stamp the center piece and the frame piece with stamp and brown ink.

Mount on the card.

Trim the tabs on the right hand card piece.

Glue the transparency saying on top of the dictionary piece. Use Glossy Accents.

Adhere to the center of the cards.

Glue the left hand tabs to the right hand piece.  

Let dry and you are done!

Have fun and make art today!

 

Lee 

Beetle Tag

Howdy!

It's the weekend and time to make a bit of art. I made this tag using the new Tim Holtz Distress Paints and StampaFe Art Stamps. 

Ingredients

StampaFe Art rubber stamps

Tag 

Old Dictionary page

Tim Holtz Distress Paints

Embossing Ink and powders

Adhesive - I like Glossy Accents from Ranger

Archival Ink Pads from Ranger

 

Method

Apply adhesive to the tag and lay the dictionary page on top. 

Smooth out the air bubbles. 

Trim off the extra paper. 

Once the adhesive is dry it's time to add some color.

Put a small puddle of a couple of Distress Paints on your craft sheet. 

Spritz with water.

Run the tag through the colors. 

Set aside to dry.

Time to emboss. 

Ink stamps with embossing ink and stamp on the tag. 

Sprinkle with embossing powder.

Heat to melt the powder.

Ink stamps and randomly stamp on the tag. 

You are done!

It's a fun tag and feel free to riff on the theme, I am going to. Check back to see what I come up with. 

Have fun and make art today!

 

Lee

 

A Watercolor Stamp A Mania Card

Hi

I am a little late today, never the less, here's a fun, springy card that I made with a new stamp from Stamp A Mania. 

 

I embossed the stamp in white on watercolor paper and used Dylusion Ink sprays that I had put into water brushes to color in.

Don't forget to have a waterbrush with water in it so you can move color around and blend.

 

I have all of the supplies on hand if you want them. Let me know. 

 

Have fun and make art today!

Lee 

Blooms in Spring with Dreamweaver Stencils

Howdy!

This is my last post as a member of the Dreamweaver Design Team. I am moving to the teaching team. That said, you will continue to find new ideas and art inspiration on this blog. 

You still have a chance to play along with us, send your take on our Blooming Spring challenge to Lynell so she can share it. Leave your link on her Lynell's Blog with Mr. Linky or email her. Check out the other amazing projects found on the design team page's. They are listed to the right. 

 

I had fun making this tag! Here are the stencils I used:

 

Ingredients

Dreamweaver Black Eyed Susan stencil, LJ902 and LJ841 Fleur de Lis

Dreamweaver matt black embossing paste and crackle paste

Dreamweaver Metal FX powders

Tim Holtz Distress Paints

Dylusion Yellow spray ink

Post card tag from American Tag

Die cut shape

Saying stamp from Tim Holtz

Ribbon by May Arts

 

Method

On white cards stock emboss the black eyed susan stencil with the black paste. 

Dry with a heat gun or allow to air dry.

Once dry, emboss with the crackle paste. 

Set aside to dry. 

Remember to clean your stencils every time. 

On your craft sheet make three puddles of the distress paint. 

I used pink, green and yellow. 

Spritz with water, run the tag through the paint puddles. 

Spritz the tag with water so it all runs. 

When it is dry lay down the Fluer de Lis stencils and spritz with yellow Dylusion ink. 

Stamp the shape with Archival Ink. 

Edge it with yellow Distress Paint.

While the paint is still wet brush with your choice of Metal FX powder. 

On the flowers, use the Distress paint to add color to the crackled embossed areas. 

While the paint is still wet dust with Metal FX. 

Allow to dry then clean with a Swifter. 

Cut the flowers out and glue onto the tag. 

Add the saying. 

Add ribbon to the top. 

Done!    

Have fun and make art today!

 

Lee