Happy Retirement

Hello crafty friends!  Last night I made a card for one of my bosses at work who's retiring at the end of July.  Definitely a good boss - no need to elaborate.

Can you believe my card was conceptualized from a red envelope I made long ago?  With the color scheme red, black and dark blue, I was able to make this card:

I used a recently purchased Cuttlebug embossing folder (Palm Leaves) to add texture.  After that, I applied Tim Holtz distress ink in Red Barn and Black Soot for more pop. 

And guess what?  I finally got to use this Unity stamp which I have had for years, making sure to emphasize my boss's retirement date.  The image is partially embossed with black ep.  Immediately after stamping with black ink, I applied embossing powder.  I blasted with a heat gun whichever particles that were stuck to the image.

This is how the card looks like when opened.  I used a sentiment stamp by River City, which is perfect for my card.

I made sure to use my favorite Martha Stewart edge punch on selected elements of my card, which I also used to accent the envelope.

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  Recollections, Wassau, ColorBok

image/sentiment:  Unity, Verve, River City

ink:  Ranger, Tsukineko

tools:  Martha Stewart, Spellbinders, Cuttlebug

embellishments:  brads, stickers

misc.:  Ranger embossing powder

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

'Til next blog!

Sew Sew

Hello dear reader!  I was in hiatus yet again. But I won't give any more excuses.  I'll just show you what I was able to make last night.

During my last project, my Copic reinker bled somehow and I had to clean with some baby wipes.  I was about to throw the wipe away, and then - ting!  I could work with it for my next project. 

So last night, I sprayed it with Smooch Spritz and Glimmer Mist then dotted with Smooch.  After cutting it to size then to thinner irregular strips, I sewed them to a base cardstock. 

After that, I stamped and colored images from the Unity Sew Cute set.  Then I started assembling my pieces together.

The frame is actually a negative cut of Spellbinders Large Labels.  I found it in my leftover bin.  Can you tell I can't just throw stuff away? 

Here you can see the details of the baby wipe background.

Materials used:

cardstock/dp:  Wassau, Recollections, leftovers

image/sentiment:  Unity

ink:  Copic, Tsukineko, Clearsnap, Tattered Angels

tools:  Janome Sew Mini, Spellbinders

embellishments:  button brads

adhesive:  Scotch, Glue Dots, mounting tape

It's going to be another busy weekend, but there will be more posts to come.

'Til next blog!

Vintaj Part Deux

So yesterday, I played with Vintaj jewelry making products, primarily focusing on the Deco Emboss Butterfly Swirl tool and a Vintaj brass tag.  For this project, I tried to use a piece of metal from a different brand, which I bought from Joann's.

I also tried the etching this time, using the Deco Etch Fluttering Wings die.

After running through my Big Shot machine, I first colored the surface with a Copic BG78.  Then I added drops of color from Copic refills R59 and Y17.  When I was happy with the colors, I covered the tag with UTEE, adding bits of Prills (Express-o Yourself and I'm A-maized) for more dimension. 

Now can you see the dragon fly image?

I really enjoyed playing with Vintaj products.  I'm so glad I found them at Hobby Lobby.  Definitely worth trying, and fun to play with.

'Til next blog!

Vintaj Part Un

Hello crafty friends!  It sure has been a busy summer so far with lots of family visiting.  We have a few days break until the next batch arrives, so I took advantage of the time and played in my planet today.

During a visit at Hobby Lobby a few months ago, I noticed a line of jewelry making tools and supplies called Vintaj.  I've never seen them before.  They are mainly brass and copper products, but what caught my eye were the tools they carry to emboss and etch on metal.  They are etching dies and embossing folders almost identical with the "Sizzlits".  And when I checked the packaging, they were made by Ellison.  If you own Sizzix products, then this won't be a surprise. 

In the photo above, you will see the Deco Etch die on the left and the Deco Emboss folder on the right.  They are the exact same size as the Sizzlit dies, only they're meant to be used on soft metal.  In the middle is a bunch of natural brass tags that can be made into pieces of jewelry.

Since I was going to use these very interesting new products for the first time, I opted for a small tag (7/8" x 1/2") to play with.  For this project, I embossed the brass tag with the the Deco Emboss with the help of my Big Shot machine (tab 1 of the multi-purpose platform and 2 standard cutting pads).  I really loved the embossing on the metal.  The makers of Vintaj was really genius in coming up with such a really cool product. 

After embossing, I colored the negative areas with Copic YR14.  Then I applied UTEE in certain parts of the raised design.  I also embossed the edges with Distress embossing powder in Black Soot. 

After the embossing was dry, I covered the back with black felt. 

I'm really happy with the result.  I love how I was able to emboss this piece of brass so easily.

Stop by tomorrow for another Vintaj project with Copic reinkers.  'Til then!

Oozapal-OOZAK

Hello crafty friends!  This is going to be a quick post.  I just wanted to share with you some good news. 

Last week, I got a call from a guy named Rusty.  At first, I was like... I don't know any Rusty.  And when he told me who he was, I asked him why the owner of Oozak was calling me.  At that point, I know Oozak as my main source of Copics, not to mention it being a Michigan-based online store.  When he told me that I was going to be their design team member starting August, I was ecstatic.  It was a totally unexpected, wonderful surprise (I was literally jumping for joy!).

The Oozak Blog has monthly challenges with prizes to give at the end of each month.  This month's challenge is BRIGHT COLORS.  Check out the awesome submissions already posted, and join in the fun as well.

And if you have more time, do visit the Oozak Facebook Page, and leave a quick hi.

'Til next blog!

BC

I have mentioned before that I sing for a local band in the area.  Well, we have been playing together for quite a while, and we have everything made for the band - banner, video graphics, website, facebook page, youtube channel and all that.  Only a few days ago did I realize that we don't even have business cards to hand out.

And since we're playing tonight at a Battle of the Bands contest, I thought of making some business cards, at least for tonight.  But I didn't want the usual print-from-your-computer-kind.  Since I have the tools to make something different, I decided to head that direction. 

First I cut 3.5 x 2 inch cards from my leftover bin.  Then, Just Rite Stampers came to the rescue.  I started mounting the tiny-winy stamps on their square glass block.  And to make it more unique, I picked an edge punch that came with some embossing.

When the cards were done, I looked for a case to put them in.  I found this tin can in my stash, bought from the 100 Yen Store in Japan.  It was originally meant for cigarettes, but I thought I could use them for some altered projects.  Today is the day I get to use it.  The tin came with blue stripes, but I covered it with decorative tape, also bought from the 100 Yen Store.  And since this tin can will be held a lot, I picked thin alpha stickers to put the band's name on it.

There is still space for more.  But I have to get ready for tonight.  So maybe another day.

'Til next blog and have a great ID4 week!