Birthday Thoughts with Distress Re-Inkers

Hi Folks!  Hope you are all well out there in craftland!  Our house has been hit with illness over the past few weeks (not me...touching wood)  Hopefully everyone is on the mend and I can get back in to my craft room without feeling guilty!  I did manage to get a couple of cards done, a start on another art book for an illustrator, along with a training hike for my climb up Ben Nevis so not too bad.

Today I have a simple birthday card to show you all.  I chose an 8 x 8 card blank, an 8 x 8 embossing folder, Embossalicious - Chantilly Frame. Creative Expressions Die by Sue Wilson from the Italian collection - Umbria.

I began this card by playing about with my Distress Re-Inkers and a laminating sheet.  I laid my chosen colours down onto one side of the sheet.  I opened and closed it a few times pulling away from different corners and let it air dry for a few minutes.  I then added more colours. This time I left the colours to pool into circles and let it dry .  I then put the sheet through the laminator.

While the sheet was drying I put a piece of white card through my BigShot Pro, trimmed the embossed card back a bit and then used two Sharpie pens (Red and Wine) to get the colouring along the edge that I wanted.  I then attached a strip of Wine Organza (Poundland - 15 strips, 5 different shades in lots of colour ranges and guess what...only a POUND)  Needless to say I have a few of them now.  As you can see I gathered the ribbon in the middle with double sided tape.  I then attached this to my Base Card.

My next step was to attach a double sided sticky sheet (I used two of ClarityStamp sheets - bit left over to use for something else) to a piece of 7 x 7 Gelli Card ( I love this card, it is so white and so smooth, great for stamping and inking).  I then put this through my BigShot Pro.

Now a Top Tip #1 coming up!!! 

Remember with Clarity Double Sided Sheets the orange covering is slightly stronger than the  side with the writing.  So if you have problems cutting intricate designs with your Dies, then take the Orange side off to attach to your card and not the other way around as this will make life easier.

Top Tip #2 coming up!!!

Remember to pay attention to what side you place your card down on your Die or you will end up with the Sticky on the wrong side.  You want the Sticky to be on the Back once it has been cut out, hence the reason I now have a Gilded Frame - which I can use for another project but not what I wanted for this card. 

What I wanted was to have the sticky on the back, the lovely curved edges to the front as my next step was to attach this to the Laminating Sheet.  Which is what I did second time around!  I cut around the outside of the Frame so that none of the Laminating Sheet was showing. I just love the stained glass effect that this creates.

I stamped the sentiment using Brilliance Ink - Pearlescent Crimson.  The sentiment itself is actually two stamps.  The outer circle - Thinking of You, originally had a daisy in the middle but I cut that out and the inner circle On Your Birthday - is one from a sheet of A5 Grey Rubber Stamps that I picked up from ebay a while ago and had never used before.  I knew these would go great together and it was a bonus that they fitted. 

I attached Double sided Foam Tape to the back of the Frame, before attaching it over the Ribbon.

Another Tip!!

If you do not have any double sided sheets you can use a strong glue like BookBinding Glue to stick the Laminating Sheet to the Frame.  You would need to leave this to thoroughly dry before attempting to cut around the Frame.

Well I hope you like this little number and I have another card that I posted on FB a few days ago that I would like to share - a little bit of Grunge Paste fun.

So till then

Happy Crafting Everyone!!!

Emma xx

Clarity Stamp Challenge 25: Anything But A Card

Clarity Stamp Challenge

Design Team Sample for March

Anything But A Card!

Hi Folks! 1st March today.  Time for another Claritystamp Challenge.
This month the topic is Anything But a Card
As long as any stamping is done by using Clarity Stamps Only.

For my design piece I decided to share a project that I have made for myself.

I am going on a hike up Ben Nevis at the end of May and I know I am going to be surrounded by some breathtaking scenery and I would quite like to capture some of it on paper!

So I have made myself an A4 Art Travelling Book...What is that you ask?...

Well let me explain!
(Lots of pictures in this post!!!)

It has 3 hard outer Covers

Which I have decorated with Grunge Paste,  Acrylic Paint, Gilding Wax

Stamping, Stencilling

and  a few other bits n bobs

Why 3 Covers?

Well I needed a back to my book and I needed a front for my book

Which I have attached together using a Zutter Binder and Owire

What's the third one for?

(dragging this out)

Well the third Cover is to hold the things I will need to take with me when I go Up North!

Which I put together using a very practical bit of kit from my crafty stash!

Want to see?

After putting two of the boards through the Zutter Binder then the Inner Pages to create the holes required for binding later, I began to decorate.

Back Cover and Top Cover (Upside Down)

I have stencilled Grunge Paste directly onto the Boards.  But before I did that I attached a piece of NON-SLIP MATTING using BOOKBINDING GLUE.  When dry I then applied GRUNGE PASTE over the top.  I left a gap between the Boards so that I had a wide enough flexible HINGE.   I thought it was quite ingenious myself.  The MATTING only cost £2.00 and it is huge so I can use it for a lot more things, like stopping my pencils and pens from rolling off my work desk!

Want to see the Inside?

I think we should continue with the Outer Covers!
But before that a picture of SOME of the items I used to make the book

9 x 11 TRELLIS, 9 x 11 LEAFY SWIRL, 7 x 7 FLOWER POWER, 7 x 7 MAPLE LEAVES, GRUNGE PASTE, SYSTEM 3 ACRYLICS, ARCHIVAL INK, SPREADER, ADIRONDACK INKS are just some of the items used sourced from CLARITYSTAMP

Other items used were sourced from Drawright in Ayr and The Works

Top Cover

I'm  pleased with the CHAINMAIL effect of the Matting mixed with Grunge Paste and Acrylics.

For this I used the Maple Leaf and the Flower Power Stencils and Grunge Paste.  I then added a few layers of Acrylic paint - Gold, Bronze, Blue, Green and Black ( I wiped most of the Black off before it had dried)  I attached a selection of wooden frames, words and shapes (The Works). I added more Black Paint, wiped more off and then set to with my GILDING WAX - Golden Light, Deep Red Then buffed it all up using some kitchen roll.

I like to add a CLASP to close the books I make and I do this by finding a bit of old Jewellery (Charity Shop) that I can alter or simply take apart.  I measured to make sure the chain would reach the OWIRE ok and that I had enough to leave a bit hanging.  The rest of the chain is hidden behind my Initial (a Metal disk from an Alphabet Set - Drawright) As the Wooden Frame had a recess, I simply placed the excess chain into it and added some Grunge Paste - not too much, just enough to make it set the chain in place.  I left this to dry and added more Grunge Paste then placed my copper disk on top and ...Squished!  I used a small glue spreader to remove some of the excess and flatten the rest.  Once Dry I had to add more of the Acrylic paint and Gilding Wax.

NEXT!

Middle Cover

I have used the same treatment as the top.  Using the TRELLIS STENCIL along with the LEAFY SWIRL stamp (Cobalt Archival Ink).  I applied the stamp before I added BLACK ACRYLIC.  I used MOD PODGE to attach  a couple of Die Cut Swirls (made from the inner foil lid of a coffee can) and a Sizzix Strip Die.  This is where the Sharpie Bronze and Gold Pens came in handy to colour the Foil. More Black Acrylic, more wet wipes...definitely cuppa time now.  I had a bit of bother getting the colour to stay on the foil until I used a Sharpie pen, I was then able to add more colour with the acrylics and waxes.  (if I had sanded the foil a little bit I wouldn't have had any bother).

Back Cover

Same treatment with the LEAFY SWIRL and MAPLE LEAVES stencils with Grunge Paste, Acrylic Paint, Gilding Waxes.  I thought at first I had gone too far with the red wax at the top but I am liking it now.

So now we get to the inside (yup there's more!)

 Middle Cover and the Back Cover before binding.

I cut down a couple of 12 x 12 papers, put them through the binder to make the holes and used MOD PODGE to attach to the Boards. I used a scraper working from the middle outwards to smooth it all out.  I didn't do anything else to the Back Cover but I did add a little artwork to the Middle and Top Covers.

Inside Middle Cover

I created a mountainous landscape using a CLARITY STENCIL BRUSH, Makeup Sponge, my own Mountain Stencil (made from thick acetate) and Adirondack - Eggplant, Black, Pesto and Butterscotch Inks to create the brooding hills and skyline. I used Dovecraft - White Pigment Ink to create the snow capped mountain.  I added two lonely trees SMALL LARCH and PINE TREE  (I have added the link for the Pine Tree from the Scotland Set but the one I used here was from the mini collections - ATC Stamps).

Inside Top Cover

For this I used a Layer of CRAFT FOAM. 

(paper would have just shown where the elastic is fixed) 

I have stamped the LARGE and SMALL LEAFY SWIRL in Archival - Cobalt.  I attached two pieces of 2cm Elastic to the corners of the bare board. I then attached 1cm thick Elastic Strips through the FOAM and then coated the Board with BOOKBINDING GLUE and attached the FOAM and left to set. I then made a little Clear Plastic Pouch (salvaged from a bag)and attached to the board with Red Double Sided Tape.

This way I can take with me Water colouring Pencils, brushes and also Chalk, Graphite, Charcoal, Drawing Pencils, rubber, Pencil Sharpener in the other tin.  I can also interchange what kind of pencils or Pens to take with me, or even a small tin of paints.  I am quite pleased with the options that I have given myself...it will probably take me longer to decide what I take in this than what I take in my rucksack!

Once all the Covers were decorated I put my mix of different types of paper along with the boards and Owire through the Zutter Binder  to finish.

There you have it, one Art Travelling Book just for me!

Just a few more pics...I promise

My favourite bit

and there is one more!!!

I also managed to get a couple of background sheets to use at a later date.

These were simply made by taping a bit paper OVER the stencil and brushing all the excess acrylic paint from my brush as I went along.

Phew! I do hope you have managed to stay with me till the end!

Let me know what you think!

Happy Crafting!!

And to those of you out there entering the Claritystamp Challenge

(£50.00 Clarity Stamp Voucher to the Winner chosen at Random)

I wish you all the best of luck xx

Hope to see all your lovely artwork on the Blog

http://claritystampchallenge.blogspot.co.uk/

P.S.  I just wanted to add that One of  the bare Covers was taken from a set of blanks I got at a craft show  (everything is a pound stall)  It is the ones that just have the two holes punched already, best bit is that  they come with A4 paper and the two metal rings...bargain.  I hid the holes with the grunge paste. You do NOT have to have a Binding Machine to make a book.