Techniques

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Ducks doing the Wave

This was a fun little page I made following an encounter with the ducks of the Fenton Mill Pond and Shiawassee River. I couldn’t believe they came running toward me — before I got some of the chicken’s meal worms out of the back seat — and ate right out of my hand. Feeding ducks is so much safer than feeding chickens … ducks have a soft bite and don’t try to eat your finger in the process.

I used the new Wave Border Set from Mosaic Moments to create the journaling spaces on the page. Here’s the video to show you how …

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

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Magic Hour in Williamsburg

Matt and I traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia over Memorial Day weekend for a class with Tami Potter, creator of Mosaic Moments. Budget and time constraints kept the trip shorter than I imagined, but we still enjoyed three amazing days immersed in history.

One of the highlights of our trip was Magic Hour. Magic Hour is that time just before sunset when the lighting is soft and warm. It makes colors pop and everything look spectacular in photos. Kevin and Tami Potter took us on a little tour of some of Tami’s favorite gardens in the historic district and provided photo tips for us along the way.

Since Magic Hour occurs after most of the buildings in Williamsburg are closed, there were few people wandering about and our group practically had the city to ourselves! We went into places that we did not realize were open to the public, learned some tidbits of history from fellow members of our group, and got some amazing photos. It was one of those evenings I never wanted to end.

This is one layout I did showing just a few of the photos Matt and I took …. I wanted to keep the map and tips Tami gave us, so I included it in a pocket on the page. The layering on the pocket was inspired by Matt and the use of a totally different die set — the Postage Stamp Set. I was talking to him about the dies and bouncing ideas off of him for a video. He was thinking literally and thought I should create an envelope and put the stamp on it … I started thinking about how to make the flap and it evolved into this pocket …

I love how it turned out … and it is super easy to create. I made a video to show you how to do it …

 

 

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

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Flowers for Fiona

Fiona is a beautiful hippo born premature at the Cincinnati Zoo and I have been following her progress through social media since shortly after her birth. Fiona has required an enormous of amount of care, as any premature baby would, and there were many times she was almost lost. Several fundraisers have been created to help pay for Fiona’s care, including purchasing the Team Fiona shirt I am wearing in this page.

Happily, Fiona is doing well at nearly 400 pounds, has been reintroduced to her mother and is even occasionally on display for short periods of time.  Once she is out and about all of the time, I plan to make the 6-hour drive each way to meet her in person.

For me, being on Fiona’s team was so important that I thought I should record some of her memories on a scrapbook page. And, since Fiona is so special to me, I went all out and cut the flowers from wool felt, adding another layer of texture and dimension to the page.

I made a video to show you how I did it … you can watch it here …

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

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It is Easy with Stickers

Every time I use Peel-Off Stickers and Silk Microfine Glitter from Elizabeth Craft Designs, people fall in love with my cards. It’s a fun and simple technique that provides big rewards. My husband, who had never crafted before a friend dared him, loves it and colors whenever the booth is slow or someone wants a demo.

The greatest thing about it is the glitter stays put, so the recipient does not receive an envelope full of glitter. You can even put it in your scrapbook and not get a puddle of glitter at the bottom of your page protector.

 

The technique is really simple and you need just a few products.

  1. Cut a piece of white cardstock slightly larger than your outline sticker.
  2. Cut a piece of Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Clear Double Sided Adhesive the same size as the cardstock. NOTE: This is exceptional adhesive. Once your glitter, sequins or whatever you need to stick is stuck, it isn’t coming off. This also means you should move it out of your way so you don’t accidentally pick it up with your elbow.
  3. Adhere the adhesive to the cardstock and set it aside.
  4. Place the release sheet (or backing) off of the adhesive in front of you, upside down (the blue ECD logo should be face down on the table).
  5. Carefully peel off your sticker and lay it upside down on the release sheet (sticky side up).
  6. Make sure it is positioned how you like and that there are no “hitchhiker” pieces still attached. Licking your finger helps if the sticker sticks to your finger. Tweezers also come in handy for this process.
  7. Take the cardstock with the adhesive on it and pull the other release sheet off (if still attached).
  8. Lay it sticky side down on top of the sticker on the release sheet. Flip it over and remove the release sheet again.
  9. Coat the sticky liberally with Elizabeth Craft Designs’ Silk Microfine Glitter in either Warm Diamond or Cool Diamond. NOTE: These are the only glitters I know of you can color on safely. Do not try this with traditional glitters.
  10. Tap off the excess and polish it. You will see the sparkles intensify as it cements the glitter into the adhesive. This is the secret to it never coming off! If you find spots that are still sticky, add more glitter.
  11. Grab an alcohol ink marker, like Copic or Colorista, and color away. Some water-based markers also work, but you need to let them dry overnight. If any glitter comes off on your pen, you need to stop and polish harder.
  12. Now you can trim the rectangle with a paper trimmer, like I did in the Happy Birthday card at the top, or cut it out with scissors, like I did the ornament card.

Add a few layers of cardstock and/or patterned paper and a sentiment to turn the colored sticker into a stunning card. Your friends will be amazed at how elegant and beautiful the card looks — much like a stained-glass window — and you will love how easy it is.

Give it a try … I’m sure you’ll love it!

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I Love Chickens

If you hang around me for more than 30 seconds, you will discover my love of poultry — especially chickens and turkeys.

I raise both in my backyard and any morning that does not have me running to work will find me outside watching them play while I enjoy my coffee, check my email and, on days like today, post to my blog. I always have a camera with me whenever I’m outside, although it usually just my iPhone, so I always have plenty of pictures of my beloved babies to share.

On this page, I opted to grab a few of my recent favorites to create a page all about my love of chickens. I used Chili Pepper Grid Paper, which is a little bit of an orange red. I used two different heart die sets from Mosaic Moments, but I “repurposed” one of them to make it look like I used three different sets.

And, of course, I made a video to show you how I did it …

Thanks for watching!

This post is sponsored by Mosaic Moments.

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Card Hop: Happy Thoughts

Welcome to A Year of Card Techniques Blog Hop where each month we feature a different card technique.  We’ve assembled a team of card makers who range from new to advanced, so you’ll see a great variety of cards and ideas.

June‘s hop is devoted to basic card folds; featuring drapery/curtain fold, peek-a-boo fold or double-z gate-fold.  And we’re adding a twist of using double-sided paper.   We hope this gives you lots of ideas and will inspire you to try these card folds yourself…and pull out that double-sided paper as well!    If you would like to check out our past technique hops, you can do that here:

We have an amazing sponsor this month, Candy Spiegel.

Please take a moment to check out all the crafty goodness on her blog, Candy Scraps.

And the awesome prize this month is four stencils from Elizabeth Craft Designs:

We  really appreciate feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop today.  While you are encouraged to comment at any time, only comments received by  Friday, June 23, 2017 at 8:00pm (EST) will be eligible to win.   The winner will be announced on Sunday,  June 25, 2017 on A Piece of (my) Heart’s blog, so be sure to check her blog on Sunday.

And speaking of winners, the lucky hopper from last month is SUSAN ELIOT; picked by Random Name Picker.  Congratulations, Susan!  Please get in touch with last month’s sponsor, Jodie Park, to claim your prize.

You should  have arrived here from Jodie’s Blog. If you’re visiting  here first, you might want to start at the beginning so you don’t miss a thing and increase your chances of winning by commenting on  each blog.

 

Flamingos always make me smile, so I thought this would be the perfect card to cheer someone.

I started by cutting black cardstock 4 1/4 x11 and scoring it at the 5 1/2 mark. Then I cut flamingo paper (by Doodlebug) 4 1/8 x 5 3/8.

I used a centering ruler (by Tim Holtz) to find the center on the side of the paper and marked it with a pencil.

Then I cut a slit at the mark about 1 1/2″ into the paper, as shown. Then, fold each corner back.

I added flamingo brads a friend gave me and then adhered it to the black card base.

Finally, I stamped “Happy Thoughts” to the front and it’s ready to send!

Now  you’re off to visit with Debbie. Hope you had fun and thanks for stopping by.  See you next month with another technique!

Here’s the full line-up in case you get lost:

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Honeymoon Fund Jar

My sister is getting married this weekend. The bartenders’ gratuity is already figured into the cost of the reception, so she thought it would be fun to collect donations to her honeymoon trip (in Australia!) at the bar. So I made her this jar … I was, of course, finishing it at the last minute, so I just took quick pics with my phone, but it was a fun project filled with tecniques and I wanted to share them with you …

I started with a Gordon Food Services’ pickle jar … I threw out the lid, cleaned the jar and got ready to etch the glass.

I wanted the jar to last beyond the reception. Since my sister is always traveling, I thought it would be nice for her to be able to remove the wedding stuff and keep it as a change jar for whatever trip she is planning in the future. So, I decided to etch a monogrammed heart on the front.

I cut out both a heart and a monogrammed S from etchall® etchmask using my Cricut. etchmask is a sticky vinyl … personally, I find it works much better for etching than a traditional vinyl since it is thicker, sticks better and doesn’t stretch as easily as vinyl does.

My sister likes things simple, so after I applied both the heart and the monogram, I trimmed off the fancy swirlies on the letter with a craft knife.

After making sure all of the edges were tight, I added my leftover pieces of etchmask to the edges of the design to make sure I didn’t etch anything I didn’t mean to.

Then, I applied a thick, even layer of etchall® etching crème to the design and let it sit for 15 minutes. I scraped the crème off and put it back in the bottle (it’s reusable) and then washed the jar with soap and water, removed the stencil and washed it again.

The metal tags are from Art C. My husband used sandpaper to remove the sharp edges and then stamped the words Honeymoon Fund into one of them (they are a pretty thick steel and I wasn’t hammering hard enough). I then used a fine-pointed Sharpie to make the letters dark and prominent.

Since the wedding colors are University of Michigan blue and gold, I used the chipped sapphire Distress Crayon to color the heart and the word love. I used my finger to smooth out the color on the heart … I love the streaking effect it gave.

I used a sticker and label set from Tim Holtz to add their wedding date. I tied gold ribbon to the top of the jar and used jump rings to adhere each of the tags.

Since the banquet hall is pretty dark, I figured the tags can sort of layer over each other and the etching on the jar during the reception and then she can remove the tags and ribbon and just have the jar with her new last initial monogrammed for later.

The entire project, because I already had most of the supplies on hand, was® inexpensive. The only thing I purchased were the tags, which were on sale at JoAnn Fabric and Crafts for $2.39 each — and they come three to a pack, so I have quite a few left for additional projects. Oh, and I figured it was bad luck to give a tip jar without any money in it, so I threw in a few $1 bills to get them started.

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Foxy Watercolors

Welcome to A Year of Card Techniques Blog Hop where each month we feature a different card technique. We’ve assembled a team of card makers who range from new to advanced, so you’ll see a great variety of cards and ideas.
For May, we are venturing into the world of watercolor. There are so many watercoloring techniques available to us today; far too many to list here. But actions speak louder than words; so our team has worked with their favorite mediums to bring you lots of examples and loads of inspiration.
If you would like to check out our past technique hops, you can do that here:
We have an amazing sponsor this month, Jodie Park of Close to My Heart:
Please take a moment to check out the great products Close to My Heart has to offer. To visit Jodie on Facebook page, just click here.
And the awesome prize this month is:
We really appreciate feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop today. One winner will be chosen from all comments on the hop as of May 26, 2017. The winner will be announced in our June hop; so be sure to come back next month.
And speaking of winners, the lucky hopper from last month is Golden Goddess Designs; picked by Random Name Picker. Congratulations! Please get in touch with last month’s sponsor, Wilma Payne at wpayne@email.com, by May 26th to claim your prize.
You should have arrived here from Jodie’s blog. If you’re visiting here first, you might want to start at the beginning so you don’t miss a thing and increase your chances of winning by commenting on each blog.
Here’s my project:
I have to admit, watercoloring has not been my thing. I can never get it to look right. But this technique, I think looks pretty good and it’s super easy. It’s sort of my take on the Watercolor the Art Impressions Way by Bonnie Krebs (click here to learn all about it). I love her techniques and I bought quite a few of her stamps, but I wanted to apply some of the same techniques to other stamps, so I tried it with Distress Markers and these stamps from Krista Schneider.
First, I put the stamps on an acrylic block and colored directly on them with a Distress Marker.
I stamped them on watercolor paper and then used a damp brush to drag the color from the edges to the center of the image. The trick is to limit the amount of water. I dipped my brush into a cup of water and then wiped it on a paper towel before using it. If it is too dry, it won’t move the color — just wet it a little more until you can see the color move. If you use too much water, your image will become a lake of mud …
I went back in with the marker to color the nose and a bit of shading on the fox and did the same thing with the owl’s beak and the center of the flowers.
I then used the coordinating dies to cut out each image. Use either a magnetic plate or washi tape to hold the dies in place while cutting.
I took another piece of watercolor paper and cut out the Dotted Oval die by Elizabeth Craft Designs. I inked the border with Distress Ink.
For the background, I smeared Distress Oxide ink on the acrylic block, wet it and then swiped it over the cardstock. I then sprayed it again with water and used a paper towel to remove some of the color … I just wanted the impression of sky and grass …
I put the two pieces back together and adhered them to the new papers from Elizabeth Craft designs and then onto a white cardbase.
Then I put the pieces I had stamped, watercolored and cut out back into a scene.
I love the soft look of watercolor with these whimsical stamps — it’s OK to go out of the lines on this project!
Now you’re off to visit with Debbie. Hope you had fun and thanks for stopping by. See you next month with another technique!
Here’s the full line-up in case you get lost:
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Coffee Four Ways

Welcome to A Year of Card Techniques Blog Hop where each month we’ll feature a different card technique. We’ve assembled a team of fabulous card makers who range from new to advanced, so you’ll see a wide variety of cards and ideas.
The month of April features a Showdown! A stamp set showdown, that is. We’re using one stamp set in various ways. Let’s face it, stamp sets are getting more and more expensive; so we’re here to inspire you by demonstrating how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h those stamps!
If you would like to check out our past technique hops, you can do that here:

 

 

We have an amazing sponsor this month, Wilma Payne of Fun Stamper’s Journey:

Please take a moment to check out the great products Fun Stampers Journey has to offer. To visit Wilma’s blog, click here and her Facebook Group here.
And the awesome prize this month is:
We really appreciate feedback, so please leave a comment on each of the blogs in the hop today. One winner will be chosen from all comments on the hop as of April 28, 2017. The winner will be announced in our May hop, so be sure to come back next month.
You should have arrived here from Sandy’s Blog. If you’re visiting here first, you might want to start at the beginning so you don’t miss a thing and increase your chances of winning by leaving a comment on each blog.
I decided to work with stamps that match my latest obsession … coffee. I chose this set from JustRite Clear.
The set is huge with many possibilities. So, to keep within the spirit of the challenge, I limited myself further … I “required” myself to use the coffee-house cup on each card.
For the first one, I stamped the cup with Wendy Vecchi’s Potting Soil Archival Ink, added a sentiment on the label and a saying. I worked on a kraft card and added a bit of Distress Ink (in Ground Espresso) around the edges of the card. It’s simple, but I like it for its simplicity.
Next, I stamped the image twice, colored it with Copic markers, cut it out and adhered it with dimensional foam adhesive to the layered card. The black is done with Memento Ink; the brown is the same Wendy Vecchi ink. The coffee stains and the saying are also from the stamp set.
For this one, I stamped the cup over and over in order to create a background with it. I used the coffee beans to make a strip and stamped another of the sentiments, as well, which I cut out and adhered.
And, finally, my favorite one … I used the same inks, but this time layered the elements in a soft teal. I stamped the cup on paper, added the word Java to the label and then cut out the image and adhered it with dimensional foam adhesive.
I created the background paper by placing each of the coffee beans on a single acrylic block and then turning and stamping repeatedly. I made sure to stamp off of the paper in some places and even stamped a few beans a second time for a softer look. I love how the background paper turned out!
I’m the last stop on the blog hop this month, but if you missed the earlier ones, it is worth a visit to the beginning.
I hope you had fun and thanks for stopping by. See you next month with another technique!
And, if you choose to try this one, post a photo of your creations on my Facebook page or, send me a copy and I’ll post it here.
Candy
Here’s the full line-up in case you get lost:
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Through the Port Hole

This is one of those pages that starts out simply, but ends up amazing. Or at least I think so!

It showcases two places … Whitefish Point State Docks, which features a barn and fishing boats on the shores of Lake Superior; and Whitefish Point Light Station, where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in 1975. We didn’t have time to do much exploring the day we were there, but we did take a quick peek at the light and the beach. And, I was fortunate enough to see a ship passing in the distance.

One of the reasons I love the Mosaic Moments system so much is that you can use it to enhance your photos. Many times those photos that aren’t good enough to scrapbook, become perfect when cutting just the right way.

In this case, my photo of the ship was a bit hazy because it was so far away. By using the Three Circles Die as a frame, I turned the less-than-steller photo into the focal point.

I created a video to show you to do it …

(I receive compensation for making videos for Mosaic Moments.)