It's a little different from what I normally do, but it's a happy little ATC.
Showing posts with label cuttlebug. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cuttlebug. Show all posts
Ladybugs
I've seen a few cute punch animals lately, so when I was trying to figure out what to do with this green background (Cuttlebug Glow from Technique Junkies), I thought it would be fun to make little punch ladybugs. The sketch is from CPS:
It's a little different from what I normally do, but it's a happy little ATC.
It's a little different from what I normally do, but it's a happy little ATC.
Reduation double challenge
In addition to my personal challenge to start using some of my unused TAC stamps, I'm conquering two challenges at once with this card. The first one is the Cuttlebug challenge to make a birthday party invitation using a Cuttlebug embossing folder. The second one is this week's sketch at CPS.
A reduation is a Red Hat Society event. A woman can only wear the red hat officially when she is 50 years old, before that she can be in the club, but wear a pink hat. On one's 50th birthday, one enjoys a reduation. My reduation was the best part of turning 50 for me, and I wish I had thought to make this card then.
The embossed part uses white core cardstock from DCWV, the white is revealed by sanding the surface after it has been embossed.
A reduation is a Red Hat Society event. A woman can only wear the red hat officially when she is 50 years old, before that she can be in the club, but wear a pink hat. On one's 50th birthday, one enjoys a reduation. My reduation was the best part of turning 50 for me, and I wish I had thought to make this card then.
The embossed part uses white core cardstock from DCWV, the white is revealed by sanding the surface after it has been embossed.
Halloween ATC
I thought I would see if I could do a challenge sketch at ATC size. This one from Priscilla looked pretty complicated, but I just reworked a few things to come up with this card:
The image and the pumpkin are from the kit. The paper twine is from Ikea, and the cardstock is all SU except the piece in the cuttlebugged background. That part was made using the technique I used for my deco fan.
The image and the pumpkin are from the kit. The paper twine is from Ikea, and the cardstock is all SU except the piece in the cuttlebugged background. That part was made using the technique I used for my deco fan.
Deco Fan
I don’t really think of myself as an artist. I’m really more of a crafter. When you do a craft, it is like cooking – use the same recipe, you get the same results.
I made an Artist Trading Card for a deco fan swap. It has a lot of steps, but if I follow the steps again, I will end up with another of the same card. I could make dozens of them, in theory. Here is the card (ink is darker in real life):
There are three main parts to making this card. First, the background:
1. Take off-white cardstock, cover with a coat of Mod Podge.
2. Tear up small pieces of text. I used a phone book.
3. Apply the torn pieces to the wet Mod Podge.
4. Apply another coat of Mod Podge.
5. Cover the cardstock with waxed paper.
6. Dry emboss with an embossing folder.
7. Let dry.
8. Sand the raised areas.
9. Sponge distress ink onto the sanded areas (I used broken China) and edges.
10. Trim to 2.5 by 3.125 inches.
Next I needed to make the fans. I knew I was going to use teabag folding, but I needed the right paper. I didn’t have a paper that I liked, so I made mine.
11. Take green patterned scrapbooking paper, and ink the back with distress ink. (Broken China and Pine Needles)
12. Punch circles out of the paper. (4 for each fan)
13. Apply distress ink to the edges of the front of the paper.
14. Give a light Pearl Ex wash.
15. Fold each circle using the Dahlia fold.
16. Glue in place on the background.
Now it is time to embellish the card. It also needed a backing, as the background is too textured to write upon.
17. Using 5 inches of copper wire, make a wire wrapped eye on one end, and coil the other end.
18. Tie a few inches of ribbon in the eye for a “wrist strap”.(it's not glued down, it just happenes to be laying that way in the scan)
19. Glue copper piece in place with E6000.
20. Cut backing cardstock to 2.5 by 3.5 inches.
21. Punch a scalloped edge on one side.
22. Glue embossed panel in place.
As you can see, there are a lot of steps, a lot of different materials, and a lot of skills in play to make this card. As long as it took to make this card (hours and hours), it would be too precious to me for me to trade it away if it were the only one, but as it happened, I made seven at the same time – one for me to keep, and six to send in for the swap.
You can only imagine how I felt when the swap host announced that she wanted all the cards for the swap to be DIFFERENT.
I made an Artist Trading Card for a deco fan swap. It has a lot of steps, but if I follow the steps again, I will end up with another of the same card. I could make dozens of them, in theory. Here is the card (ink is darker in real life):
There are three main parts to making this card. First, the background:
1. Take off-white cardstock, cover with a coat of Mod Podge.
2. Tear up small pieces of text. I used a phone book.
3. Apply the torn pieces to the wet Mod Podge.
4. Apply another coat of Mod Podge.
5. Cover the cardstock with waxed paper.
6. Dry emboss with an embossing folder.
7. Let dry.
8. Sand the raised areas.
9. Sponge distress ink onto the sanded areas (I used broken China) and edges.
10. Trim to 2.5 by 3.125 inches.
Next I needed to make the fans. I knew I was going to use teabag folding, but I needed the right paper. I didn’t have a paper that I liked, so I made mine.
11. Take green patterned scrapbooking paper, and ink the back with distress ink. (Broken China and Pine Needles)
12. Punch circles out of the paper. (4 for each fan)
13. Apply distress ink to the edges of the front of the paper.
14. Give a light Pearl Ex wash.
15. Fold each circle using the Dahlia fold.
16. Glue in place on the background.
Now it is time to embellish the card. It also needed a backing, as the background is too textured to write upon.
17. Using 5 inches of copper wire, make a wire wrapped eye on one end, and coil the other end.
18. Tie a few inches of ribbon in the eye for a “wrist strap”.(it's not glued down, it just happenes to be laying that way in the scan)
19. Glue copper piece in place with E6000.
20. Cut backing cardstock to 2.5 by 3.5 inches.
21. Punch a scalloped edge on one side.
22. Glue embossed panel in place.
As you can see, there are a lot of steps, a lot of different materials, and a lot of skills in play to make this card. As long as it took to make this card (hours and hours), it would be too precious to me for me to trade it away if it were the only one, but as it happened, I made seven at the same time – one for me to keep, and six to send in for the swap.
You can only imagine how I felt when the swap host announced that she wanted all the cards for the swap to be DIFFERENT.
Zentangled
I used to hate doodling. I think there was something wrong with my hand, or maybe the way I was using it - I was grabbing too hard, pushing too hard, or something - and it would cramp up before anything interesting happened on the paper. It was a big problem with my schoolwork, too; my hand would get so tired so fast, I would write the absolute minumum possible.
I don't know why things are different now. I like making things, and especially drawing things. I can't do it well, but I like doing it anyway.
This is a card I made, with a zentangle in the middle. It's a lot of hand work, but the zen part of zentangle is that you are supposed to consider filling in the small repetitive a soothing and meditative exercise. It is, if you let it be one. Never do a zentangle when you are pressed for time.
The background of the card was made by running the black cardstock through and embossing folder, then brayering on metallic ink, then repeating the process with a different folder and ink.
I don't know why things are different now. I like making things, and especially drawing things. I can't do it well, but I like doing it anyway.
This is a card I made, with a zentangle in the middle. It's a lot of hand work, but the zen part of zentangle is that you are supposed to consider filling in the small repetitive a soothing and meditative exercise. It is, if you let it be one. Never do a zentangle when you are pressed for time.
The background of the card was made by running the black cardstock through and embossing folder, then brayering on metallic ink, then repeating the process with a different folder and ink.
