10.30.2010

glimmer mist and de-bossed

Hi all! Its Windy here today to share my Halloween and Fall tag projects. Halloween is a favorite holiday in our house and I'm always looking for fun things to make... so here's a little decor project created from 3 tags fastened together by ribbon.



Patterned paper (Artsy Urban collection), Chip Art Chipboard Tags & Leaf #2 Stamps, Jack-o-lantern Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, Walnut Stain/Brick Distress Ink & Stickles by Ranger, Ghost Stickers by Making Memories, Pins by Maya Road and ribbon by Michaels Stores Inc

To create this I soaked each tag with glimmer mist and de-bossed leaf patterns around the edge with Leaves #2 stamps. I then distressed the tags with brick & walnut stain distress ink and added the letters & ghosts to the tags. Finally I laced it with black & white ribbon and embellished it with bows and stick pins.



I de-bossed my Fall themed tag in the same manner as the project above, inked it with only Walnut Stain ink and decked it out with twine and stickers.




Epoxy stickers and patterned paper (Artsy Urban collection), Chip Art Chipboard Tags & Leaf #2 Stamps, Leaf stickers by EK Success, Jack-o-lantern Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels, Walnut Stain Distress Ink by Ranger, Twine by May Arts



Thanks for visiting today:) Hope you all have a fun Halloween tomorrow!

10.29.2010

what can you do with tissue paper?

Hello, hello! It's me Heidi V. again!
Ya know, I've had several comments made to me that my Chip Art projects resembled stamped leather, and that got me thinking, why not really make them look like leather? This is what I came up with.
And here's how I accomplished it...

First off you will need all your standard Chip Art supplies: chipboard, mallot, stamps, paints, Modge Podge or something similar, plus tissue paper...preferably recycled and well crumpled :)

1. moisten your chipboard.

2. While the chipboard is still wet, apply a generous layer of acrylic paint. (for a leather look, a light tan is a good base)
3. Tear off a piece of tissue paper that is large enough to cover the chipboard. (make sure it is good and crumpled)
4. While the paint is still wet, press the tissue into it.
5. Immediately stamp your image over the top of the tissue...
...like this.
6. Allow to dry completely (or help it along with a heat gun) and tear of the excess tissue paper.
7. (optional) If there are any areas you wanted painted a different color, now's the time to do it.
8. Generously apply a mixture of medium brown paint and Modge Podge and wipe of excess right away.
9. Allow that layer to dry completely and then repeat using a mixture of dark brown and Modge Podge.
10. Allow piece to dry (again using a heat gun to help things along is totally fine) and you're good to go!
To further emphasize the look of leather, I decided to pierce and then hand stitch my chipboard before adding to my card. I love that is has sort of a western look...like a jeans label. I am SO going to make some masculine cards with this technique!

I mixed papers from the Artsy Urban, Lydia, and Smoothie Shoppe collections to create the warm fall palette here.
Although I create this technique to mimic leather I discovered that by changing the colors up I created something that looks a bit like stone and was perfect for making a Halloween card.

Yes, that's a twig from my yard...I've been known to use stuff like that now and then :) I also used papers from the Artsy Urban and Lydia collections.

I would love to see you give this a try!

10.28.2010

I love the rich, earthy colors of fall.

Hi all! Mimi here!

Heidi challenged the design team to make a fall and Halloween Chip Art tag set. As usual a good challenge always gets my juices flowing...pulling out my paint, stamps, and ink and getting my hand dirty! I always send a treat in for the kids teachers on Halloween and I think these will be perfect tied to a little bag of oatmeal raisin cookies.



I love the rich, earthy colors of fall. Look how great the GCD Chip Art Tool leaf imprints look on this backgroud.



Now it is your turn...dig into your stash and create some fun tags. You won't regret it...a little creative time is good for the soul! Thanks so much for stopping by!

10.27.2010

BEWARE!

Our theme this month is all about tags! We were asked to create 2 of them: one with a Halloween theme and another with a Fall theme. The other part of our assignment was to try to do the following things while creating our tags:
  1. Think outside of the box
  2. Use the Chip Art tool
  3. Add texture
  4. Put a lot of fun surprises on them
I tried my best to accomplish all that was asked! As for thinking outside of the box, I feel I went more than just a little bit outside of the it! Instead of using just 1 tag, I used 3 and I created what is commonly called a triptych. A triptych is a work of art which is divided into three sections, which are usually hinged together and folded. Mine are not hinged, but they do have the 3 sections. By doing this, it allowed me to create a little scene which was perfect for my Halloween tags.
Here I used the Chip Art tool to create the little sign and mixed 2 of the alphabets to give it a fun and slightly spooky feel.
This is the back side of the tags to give you a better feel for how I put things together.
And here is a close up of the layering of the crow and the fence.
Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Artsy Urban/Black Floral, Postcard One and Lydia/Petit Floral, Dark Floral
Chip Art Chipboard Shapes: Tags and Basic Shapes - Small
Chip Art Alphabet Stamps: Bluebird Uppercase, Sparrow Uppercase

Other:
Cricut Die Cut Machine by Provo Craft
Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels
Gold Leafing Pen by Krylon

For my Fall tag I went chose a sunflower for the focal image and then sprayed, misted, gold leafed and beaded the various chipboard pieces to create my flower and leaves.
Here is a close up of the texture I added to create the sunflower.
Here is a view of the back side of this triptych.
This is another image to show you some of the dimension and more of the fun embellishments I added to my tags.
Supplies:
Patterned Paper: Homespun Chic/Vintage Audrey and Lydia/Diamonds
Chip Art Chipboard Shapes: Tags and Flowers
Glitter Die-Cut Borders: Artsy Urban
Word Strips: Homespun Chic
Vintage Brads: Artsy Urban

Other:
Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels
Gold Leafing Pen by Krylon
Small beads unknown

So now your challenge is pull out your Chip Art tags and create your own little outside of the box set of tags!

Happy crafting with lots of hugs!
Juliana

"create"

I love the Chip Art tool and I have really enjoyed finding new ways to use it for crafting. Today I am sharing with you a fun new way to craft with it using leather. I saw these leather bracelets at a local craft store and wondered if they could be embossed with the Chip Art tool. So I bought them, brought them home and started playing. And what do you know? It worked!!! It is a very simple process that I will share with you now. All you need are your Chip Art Block, Mallet, Spray Bottle and your choice of Chip Art Stamps.
Begin by lightly misting the leather to soften it. Then simply place the stamp of your choice where you want it and pound away. It is exactly the same technique you use with chipboard. Here I started the design with a couple flower stamps.
I then continued to add varying sizes of flowers, butterflies and leaves until I had the look I wanted. I also stamped my initials there on the end!
Next up is another example just on a different color of leather. I added the word "create" after I finished creating the butterfly pattern.
Supplies:
Chip Art Alphabet Stamps: Sparrow Lowercase
Chip Art Ornamental Stamps: Mini Shapes, Butterflies, Bloom, and Leaves

I love the look and feel of these bracelets and think they would make a great gift. I think my next project with this technique is going to be a leather wallet!

Happy Chip Arting!
Juliana

10.26.2010

Fly Away Into Fall

Hello!
This is Emeline and i'm here to share with you a layout which i created using warm color inspiration drawn from the wonderful GCD Studio's Artsy Urban Collection.


Here, i made use of several (in fact LOTS) of beautiful butterflies from
#876 Butterfly- Artsy Urban pattern paper. I cut them up and layered the one on top of another.



The cluster of butterflies draws the eye to the photo which is the focal point of the layout.



The coordinated colors from the butterflies are warm yet bold. The most amazing thing is the details on the butterflies are uniquely different and I love how some of the have a shimmery feel on them. These butterflies are so beautiful I hope you'll find a way to use them on your pages too !



Emeline

10.25.2010

I used a Cuttlebug

Hi everyone!! Today I am going to share a technique that I love! Dry embossing cardstock is done a lot in paper crafting, and it is a great way to add some texture and dimension to your card. I also love to dry emboss patterned paper, and it can add so much to your project.

First cut your block of patterned paper, and run it through your embossing machine with your embossing folder or plate of choice. (I used a Cuttlebug with the Flourish Fun folder for my card.)


When you have run the paper through the machine, this is what it will look like. Most machines will make a nice impression that is very easy to see.


I normally go one step further, and lightly sand over the embossed image to make it stand out even more. Plus, patterned paper has a white core to it...so sanding will really bring the image out.


Then just finish putting your card together. This is how my card turned out:


You can also do the same technique on diecut items. On this card, I did the same process to this diecut & emboss leaf set.


I used a bunch of product from the Urban Artsy collection for these cards. I just love how warm and comfy the colors are. Even though the collection is not technically a "fall" collection...I think it works perfectly for this time of year!

Until later,
~Lea L.

10.24.2010

a Halloween banner for our mantle.


When we were given our assignment to make tags for this month, all I
could think about was how I’ve always wanted to create a Halloween
banner for our mantle. I thought I’d combine the two projects and make a
banner with tags!



I started by debossing my “Spooky” letters (GCD Big Alphabet Chipboard Letters) with the various Chip Art Tool designs. After I painted a black base, I added
some sparkle with some glittery embossing powder. I also used an
embossing pen to outline the spider web on one of the tags and
embossed it.



I loved the idea of using glitter embossing powder, so I didn’t end up
with inevitable loose glitter all over the floor!



I then painted each GCD Studios chipboard banner with black paint, crackle medium and then cream
paint. I adhered the letters with Pop Dots and trimmed with
various GCD Studios patterned papers with decorative edges. The Paris Nights Decorative paper pack has strips of decorative edge
pieces that worked great for this.



Next, I moved onto the tags. I loved the idea of each tag being its
own distinct little gem. I glued patterned paper to the tags and
filed the paper to get precise edges of the tags.



I layered various stickers, punches and chipboard pieces for extra
dimension. Here is an example of the start of the witch tag's
assembly. Every tag was also edged with Sepia Black ink from
Color Box.



I love how, with these two tags, I was able to use patterned paper not
traditionally associated with Halloween from the Lydia and Paris
Nights collection.




The main features on these two tags are a spider I made with pipe
cleaners and a crackle painted chipboard bird.






And lastly, this tag's focal point is this adorable sticker made to
look like a piece of candy.




Here's another look at the banner.




See that Trick or Treat framed art on the mantle? I created this
fun image to share with you, download here. Just print it out and place it in a 5x7
frame you've already got around your house!





And lastly, because the assignment called for us to make a fall tag as
well, I turned my fall tag into an embellishment for my front door
arrangement. I think the house is ready for fall!




I hope you are inspired to dress your house with your scrapbooking
supplies for the fall holidays.






Halloween Banner Supplies


Chipboard: GCD Studios (shapes,
tags, banners and bird) Patterned Papers: GCD Studios
(Paris Nights and Lydia Collections and Making Memories)
Stickers: Martha Stewart & Making Memories Brads and Gems:
Recollections Ink: Colorbox Stamp: Bo Bunny





Fall Tag Suplies


Chipboard Tag: GCD Studios
Patterned Papers: GCD Studios Chipboard letters: Heidi
Swapp Stamp: Inkadinkadoo Ink: Colorbox Stamp:
Stampcraft Flower: Prima