Nimble Fingers

Wendy Vecchi/Studio 490 stencil

Stampin' Up:  Lemon Zest, coordinating punch

Ranger:  Fern Green archival ink; distress oxide inks (Mustard Seed, Twisted Citron, Crushed Olive, Shabby Shutters); distress inks (Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron, Peeled Paint, Lucky Clover, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Tattered Rose); heavy duty mixed media cardstock; distress resist spray; Glue N' Seal; clear embossing ink/powder

Yellow ribbon

White cardstock

Rubber Stamp Tapestry Fresh Lemonade SFV10013

Another bad week for friends and family...3 members within my circle have lost loved ones in a space of 4 days.  Here's one of the cards I made for a childhood who lost her father.

Rubber Stamp Tapestry SLE 18008 Fall Leaves and Acorns

Ranger: archival inks (Ground Espresso, Vintage Photo, Sunflower, Fern Green, Monarch Orange, Tiger Lily); distress stains (Broken China, Tumbled Glass, Shaded Lilac)

Unknown cardstocks

My Sentiments Exactly S146-IIO stamp

RIP, Jiggs, you were a good man.  You've rejoined your wife and daughter in heaven.

We get quite a few magnets in the mail, especially ones from credit card companies.  I decided to alter four of them to make a seasonal set of magnets.  While they won't hold much more than a single sheet of paper, I do like seeing them on my refrigerator or file drawers.


Sticky back canvas was applied to the front of the magnets (I tried gesso but it just wasn't covering well enough for me).  To seal the fabric and make the images stamp better I coated each with a layer of gesso. 

Ranger archival inks were used to stamp all the images.  The seasons are by Stamp Camp and the other images are Rubber Stamp Tapestry (Cherry Blossom SFL34068, Sand Dollar and Starfish Border AQU00003, Fall Leaves and Acorns SLE18008, Cardinal in Holly SLE18007).

I let them dry thoroughly overnight before spraying them with a Krylon matte sealer.  This way there should be no issue with fingerprints or sticky fingers.  (I know how it is at my house!)

Every month I send cards to a special group of people.  I'm hoping to remember to use Tim Holtz' new shadow press monthly dies on them.  If you haven't tried them, you should.  They're quite fun to use as is, sand the shadows or by accenting the debossing bits with a distress ink marker to highlight the shadow.

Deep Winter Morning stamp set by Rubber Stamp Tapestry/Ranger Fern Green, Tree Branch, Jet Black archival inks, Snow Cap White pigment ink,brown distress ink/Sizzix months shadow press folders/Bazzill card stocks/Stampers Anonymous Christmas Nostalgia/Spellbinders classic scalloped rectangle die

This week Claudine's focus is on muted backgrounds; specifically, acrylic paints and collage.

 Muted acrylics
Claudine Helmuth Studio Paint (Altered Orange, Yellow Pastel, Dab of Yellow); Rays Layering Stencil; Jet Black Archival Ink; distress inks; clear embossing powder; American Art Stamp EM7107G 'Sunshine'; Sakura white gelly roll pen; Black Micron pen; Sizzix Ticket Strip die; snippet of paper tape
Collage
scraps of decorative cardstock; Potting Soil, Jet Black Archival Inks; Glue 'n Seal; Rubber Stamp Tapestry 'Sand Dollar & Starfish Border AQU00003'; distress paints; vintage photo*; Sizzix Primitive Hearts die; Marvy heart thumb punch; Hero Arts alphabets; Stampers Anonymous 'Playful Journey' text stamp

*  This is a photo of my in-laws taken in 1934 at Jones Beach, Long Island, New York.

Online Card Classes 'Clean and Simple 3'...
Ingredients:  white card stock, Spellbinders (Octagons Lage S4-185), Stamp Oasis (The Foliette Word Collection), Rubber Stamp Tapestry (Butterfly Blooms SFL-34049), Ranger (Jet Black Archival Ink, Scattered Straw/Peeled Paint/Gathered Twigs/Milled Lavender/Seedless Preserves/Dusty Concord Distress Inks)

I can't believe how early Chanukah is this year!  There aren't a lot of Jewish stamps out there...so many are so similar.  It gets harder and harder to use them so they don't look the same year after year.  But this time I took a unique approach.  When I saw this Triangle Swirl Tile set (SCO28003) on the Rubber Stamp Tapestry site it screamed Star of David to me.


After some fiddling around with the layout I finally got a satisfactory image...that I had to recreate 10 more times.  So I took the easy way out and used vellum so I could place the original underneath and stamp over it.  I found that archival inks bled too much but distress inks were perfect.

Underneath the white vellum is a layer of gold vellum.  These are layered onto Avalanche Bazzill cardstock.  On the right hand side I smudged more distress ink through Tim Holtz' Stripes stencil for a random look.  I didn't want true stripes, just a suggestion of a faded striped ribbon.  On top of this I stamped the phrase (also RST) in distress ink.


Bazzill: Avalanche cardstock
Rubber Stamp Tapestry:  Triangle Swirl Tile SCO28003, Menorah mini SPO20070M, Happy Hanukkah mini WOR38224M
Ranger:  Faded Jeans, Wild Honey distress inks
Tim Holtz: Stripes stencil
Misc:  white, gold vellum, vellum tape

you didn't use Versacolor pigment inks for this Rubber Stamp Tapestry set but used distress inks instead?  And what would a monochromatic look be like?  See for yourself. 

 Lapislazuli - Chipped Sapphire

 Lilac - Picked Raspberry
Split Pea - Crushed Olive
Green Tea - Mowed Lawn
Metallic Gold - Scattered Straw
Bamboo - Bundled Sage

 Lapislazuli - Aged Mahogany

 Lilac - Fired Brick
Split Pea -Festive Berries
Green Tea - Barn Door
Metallic Gold - Worn Lipstick
Bamboo - Tattered Rose
 Lapislazuli - Walnut Stain

 Lilac - Vintage Photo
Split Pea - Tea Dye
Green Tea - Gathered Twigs
Metallic Gold - Old Paper
Bamboo - Antique Linen
Looks like it may be time to re-ink my brown distress pads.










I don't keep to my circles and ovals very well but I was more concerned with trying different color schemes.   It was great fun to have time just to play with this set because I don't use it, or any of my Rubber Stamp Tapestry sets, often enough.  I think it's time they see more ink!

Over on the EverythingWendyVecchi Yahoo group Lori gave us a month-long challenge.  Each week that you add some Studio 490 holiday artwork to the challenge album, your name will go into a drawing.  Wait, it gets better!  She'll leave the names in the drawing each week so the more times you enter means you increase your chances of winning.  How about that?!!!!??  I won last week..woot woot! 

Here are the dominoes I created for the 3rd week of the challenge.  The words from 'Just Word Art' were stamped in Jet Black archival ink.  The blue domino was colored with Adirondack markers (blues, purples) then overstamped with a tiny pine branch from Rubber Stamps Tapestry.  I removed the ink and left a ghostly image.  Cool, huh? I admit, it's a bit hard to see in this photo.  The domino was edged with the silver paint dabber.  The gold domino was colored using Butterscotch and Gold Mixative alcohol inks.  Once both dominoes were thoroughly dry I sprayed several light coats of Krylon clear gloss to seal them.

These are the perfect things to leave where you'd least expect to find art...a friend's window sill, on a counter at the doctor's office, etc.

Wait until you see what I did for the 4th and final week of this challenge!

I just ordered these really cute peg stamps from Rubber Stamp Tapestry and couldn't wait to use them on the holiday card for our local animal hospital.  Our cats are 'frequent flyers' there...or seem to be.

Jet Black and Sepia Archival Inks were used to color the cats (Casey is a tiger stripe, Amber is our tortie).  Numerous green and red distress inks were used to stamp the wreath.  All the stamps are from Rubber Stamp Tapestry.

Spellbinders circle dies were used to cut out the 2 circles while Tim's mini bow die was used to punch the ribbon for the wreath.

The embossing layer was done with a Cuttlebug folder.

I hope Santa Paws is good to all the staff at the Animal Hospital of Monticello!

It is so blasted gray and rainy that I had to break out some flower stamps and brighter colors of ink.  Hopefully we'll get some sun over the weekend but until then I'll have to create my own sunshine.

Like that little black dress we should all have in our closets, this concept will take me through the seasons, I can see that now.  A change of stamps (fall leaves, etc.) and a change in position (just the hem, neckline, sleeve) and I'll be the best dressed lady around!  : )

I first saw this idea back in the March/April 2009 Paper Crafts Magazine.  The templates are called 'Sugar & Spice' dress card and 'Celebrate' dress card.  The difference is the shape of the apron.  I don't have decorative papers that would work so I combined what I saw recently on the Rubber Stamp Tapestry blog with the PCM template. 

The RST sets I used are Itsy Florals and Basket of Flowers.  As before, I didn't use Versamark inks but distress inks (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Wild Honey, Black Soot, Faded Jeans, Milled Lavender and Dusty Concord).  I did add some sparkle to the flower centers with a Sakura glaze pen but the camera didn't pick that up.

The vellum apron was run through a Provocraft embossing folder (Swiss Dots).  A bit of green lace seam binding forms the bodice and bow.  I cut out a tiny round tag (Sizzlits die) and stamped the sentiment (The Missing Link Stamp Company) in Peeled Paint.

If I had any dresses they certainly wouldn't fit in an A2 envelope but this little pretty will.  The envelope was decorated along the bottom using the same stamps and colors.  Kind of like looking at a flower garden.  That makes me happy!

While those in Washington, DC and similar areas may be seeing the cherry blossoms soon, we here in central IL sure won't.  Though the weather has been quite mild of late it is still February.  And since these don't look like cherry blossoms, it doesn't really matter anyway. 

When I made the birthday card using the Rubber Stamp Tapestry stamps last week I was asked about the value of the sets, my thoughts on them, etc.  I own nearly 4 shoeboxes of their sets but am embarrassed and ashamed to say some of them haven't met an ink pad yet and many haven't been used in a long, long time.  So I set out to remedy that situation.  I created 4 ATCs, one for each season, trying to fit a set for each that would be different and not do a wreath on all of them. 

Susan Walton, Rubber Stamp Tapestry owner, recommends using Versacolor pigment inks but most of my pads are dry and I don't have all the re-inkers.  I use the Ranger inks so much that I reach for them first, only using others when I 'have' to because of color or properties.

Spring features the Cherry Blossoms set (SFL34068), a PSX sentiment (F-3292) stamped with Black Archival ink, EKSuccess Scalloped Punch, Stickles:  Diamond, Lavender, Baby Blue and Lime Green.  Distress inks used: Antique Linen, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Peeled Paint, Brushed Corduroy.  Tombow markers:  blue, green and purple.













Summer features the Sand Dollar & Starfish Border (AQU00003), My Sentiments Exactly (H179) stamped with Black Archival ink, sandpaper, charm and fishing line.  Distress inks used: Bundled Sage, Tattered Rose, Stormy Sky, Pumice Stone, Tea Dye, Weathered Wood.  Wild Honey Distress Stickles was used on the sandpaper.  The birds are from Tim Holtz' Lost & Found.












Fall features the Pumpkin Border (SFV10004).  The tree is Wendy Vecchi's from Mail Art, stamped in Coffee Archival ink. Tim Holtz' Halloween ticket (Odds & Ends) was stamped in Black Archival ink and distressed with Walnut Stain Distress Ink.  The bats were punched using an EKSuccess punch.  Distress inks used: Rusty Hinge, Spiced Marmalade, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint, Wild Honey, Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo and Walnut Stain.










Winter features the Winter Pine Border (SBR04004) and Designer
Block Prints (UNM6202).  The pine tree was punched from a Sizzix die.  Santa was cut from Tim Holtz' Seasonal Stash paper and covered with Glossy Accents.  Distress inks used: Pine Needle, Walnut Stain and Frayed Burlap.  A gold marker decorated the tree along with a gold star brad.

It's been awhile since I used any of my Rubber Stamp Tapestry sets.  If you're not familiar with them, they're mostly small peg stamps although they do have some larger sentiments and now fabric stamps.  I have 4 shoe boxes full and they do work up into nice, easy cards that take no time.  A friend has a birthday near Valentine's Day so thought this heart-shaped wreath in pinky-corals was fitting.  RST promotes using Versacolor cubes and I do have quite a few but decided to try distress inks for a different look.
This set is called Cherry Blossoms.  Isn't it dainty?  I used Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, Bundled Sage, Peeled Paint, Crushed Olive and Frayed Burlap instead of the 4 colors they suggested.  There are some Diamond Stickles scattered about the flower centers.  The sentiment is also by RST.

I love this Doily Lace Trim punch by Martha Stewart.  I just have to remember to punch all the way down as it seems to almost be like a 2-step punch.  Either that or the Bazzill is a bit thicker to punch than some of my other cardstock.

One of the tricks to getting a nicely shaped wreath is to draw a light pencil line first.  This time I cut a foam heart using a Sizzix die then stamped it with Antique Linen on the paper first.  You can barely see it in the actual card but it gave me lines to follow.