The 3-Day Card

Things do not always go the way you plan — even in you are making cards.

For this month’s card swap, I wanted to make a pretty background and then stamp an image in the middle of it. It looked beautiful in my head.

I started by smearing several colors of Distress Paint onto my non-stick craft sheet. I spritzed it with water and then drug sheets of Specialty Stamping Paper through it. I randomly blotted them with paper towel and then dried with a heat gun.

The results were cool, but I wanted more. So, I smeared Distress Ink onto my non-stick craft sheet, spritzed it with water and ran the pieces through. I also added a bit more Brushed Pewter Distress Paint so I could get more metallic shine in the pieces. Again, I randomly blotted with a paper towel and then heat dried.

That was cool, but I didn’t think it was quite done. So I spritzed it with Perfect Pearls Mists.

After that dried, I was happy with the background and ready to stamp. So, I pulled out my stamp, made one impression and realized there is no way it would work. The stamp was too delicate to compete with the crazy background.

At this point, I was devastated. I had invested all of that time and energy into making 12 backgrounds and my idea was a total failure. I spent an entire day stressing over what to do. I was determined to use the backgrounds, but had no idea what to do.

With no vision in mind, I began pulling stuff out. I grabbed a stencil and some Metallic Silver Embossing Paste and coated the top of each card with it.

The next day, I added a few strips of Tissue Tape. Then, I punched out circles, die cut the word “Hello” and adhered them to the cards. I added a few Tiny Attacher Staples and some Glitter Dots.

Each card was slightly different, but I think they turned out well … even if they did take me three days to make!

 

 

Photo Opps

I am a dorky tourist. I know this. I have accepted it. And I embrace it.

I cannot seem to pass up a tourist trap, souvenir stand, historical marker or photo opportunity.

Along M-21, between Owosso and Ovid, there are a lot of photo opps. I finally took the time to stop and take advantage of the opportunity. Then, I had to scrapbook it, of course.

To find out how I made the page and to cheer me on, visit Journella, here …

 

Breaking News!!

I have great news to share!

You may have heard that I will soon be teaching in Millington, MI (east of Birch Run).

I will also begin teaching out of my home! These classes will be small, but I will try to help you with new techniques, make projects and more.

My first class will be Copic 101. In this class you will learn what these special markers are, how to use them, how to keep them cost-effective and much, much more. This class is just $20 and is set for Saturday, June 22 at 10 a.m. You must register for this class by e-mailing me at candyspiegel@yahoo.com.

I am also offering to teach at your house, church, business, etc. Wherever you can gather a few of your friends, I can come and teach. I can even work up unique projects just for you.

Until we meet again, here is one of my recent layouts.

Last year, my nephew was obsessed with fireworks. He kept smelling them and telling us how much he love the smell. He was so excited to send them off, I had to showcase the emotions of the day.

This layout features the new line by Authentique and corrugated cardstock by Fancy Pants.

I used cutouts from one of the sheets of paper as embellishments. I distressed them with the Tonic/Tim Holtz Distress Tool and Distress Ink and added staples with the Tiny Attacher.

 

Valentine’s Make & Take

Every Saturday, Capture A Memory in Flint Township offers a make and take for a small fee — usually $2 to $5 (free for members).

The projects are designed by staff members and this year, I will be taking a turn each month. My “normal” make and take will be the fourth Saturday of every month, but in January I swapped so I will be hosting the make and take this Saturday.

I plan to incorporate techniques into my projects as much as possible. So, for my first one, I decided to work with vellum. I used an embossing folder to create the pattern on the vellum and used the Tiny Attacher to adhere it. I added some ribbon from May Arts and a stamp from Just Rite. Inside, I also included some paper to cover the back side of the staples.

I hope you will stop by the store from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday to make a card of your own!

 

And the Eagle will Fly

I’ve been doing a lot of cards lately … mostly because I have been having fun coloring with Copics!

But, I thought it was time to share some of the scrapbook pages I have been making lately.

This one features a photo that my husband took on one our trips to the Detroit Zoo. I wanted to highlight what the eagle symbolizes — America, freedom, the stars and stripes, etc.

Here’s what I came up with …

The papers are from Tim Holtz (they’re the back sides). I love them because they are solids, but with the built-in distressing, they have depth and are not boring. I edged each piece with Distress Ink and layered them. The Betsy Ross image is cut out from another sheet of paper.

Next, I added a strip of ribbon from Maya Road and attached it with a few Craft Glue Dots. I’m not sure who made the lace ribbon, but I inked it with Distress Ink to match and then attached it with the Tiny Attacher.

Then, I added a few cardstock stickers (also from Tim Holtz).

The stars are from Close To My Heart — they are corrugated kraft paper and were just released a few days ago. I painted them, unevenly, with Distress Crackle Paint. When that dried, I brushed the tops with a bit of Distress Ink. Then, I added a bit of gold Paint Dabber in spots and, finally, edged them in Black Soot Distress Ink. I love the effect. You can click on the photos for a closer look.

I wanted the page to reflect some of the hardworking, blue-collar labor that has made this country what it is today. So, I added some brads, washers and a game spinner from Ideaology and a couple of star charms from My Mind’s Eye. Then, I added some staples, using the Tiny Attacher, as additional accents.

What do you think?

Graduation

I haven’t been to a graduation open house in years, so when I discovered I needed to make a poster for my daughter’s open house, I was a bit surprised.

I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, but this is what I came up with …

I started with a science project board and used some papers and stickers from TPC, for the most part. I added a bit of Bo Bunny ribbon, a school bumper sticker and some cardstock, as well.

I used paper to help section off the display into different portions of Korie’s life: baby/toddler, school, friends, dance, graduation, etc.

For the title, I cut out Korie with my Cricut out of cardstock. I meant to cover it in glitter, but I forgot until it was all adhered. So, I improvised and used Distress Stickles. They gave it a little shine that showed up well when it was set up outside.

To hold this all together, I used Glue Dots, my ATG and the Tiny Attacher — my three favorite ways to attach things. I was impressed, again, with how many layers the Tiny Attacher goes through. And, the Glue Dots and ATG held so well, not a thing came loose — even though the display blew off the table multiple times!