Little Calendar's a perfect gift that gives year round!

New Year gifts that just perfect for giving out are tiny calendars with magnets on the back. I used wonderful images from Sweet Pea stamps to decorate them.  They measure three and half inches wide.  They come with the adhesive magnet already on the back, so I able to create my little three and half inches of art work and then stick them right onto the calendars as soon as they arrived in my house! The list of all the stamps used here appears at the bottom.

 

Hope this gives you some fun little gift giving ideas, be it a quick New Year's hand out or for next year's Christmas time.

 

Cheers, Holley

 

Stamps used above:  Calendar 1&2 - Plate #17, Calendar 3 - Dark Lilies

Calendar 4 & 6 Gum Drop Gang Be Mine

Calendar 5 - Seasons of Fantasy Plate #23

Connie-Blending Technique

Here is a technique for you called "Gelato Blending"

Supplies:

Gelatos by Faber Castell

Plate 17 "Angel Kisses" stamps by 

Sweet Pea Stamps

versamark pad

black embossing powder

heat tool

white card stock

sponges or brushes

paper towels

Directions:

1)  Stamp your image on white stock with Versamark ink.

2)  Cover with black embossing powder and heat till melted.

3)  Scribble Gelato onto plastic piece and rub sponge or brush in

to cover and apply to image.  

4)  Scribble another Gelato color and blend into first color.  These blend

very well very easily.

**I found that rubbing my finger on the top of the Gelato itself and then on my image worked

the best for me.  Color was easily removed with a wet wipe.  Applying Gelato directly resulted

in lines of color where I didn't want them and was hard to blend in-this was my experience.**

You could do this with black card stock and white ep or white stock and clear ep….the

possibilities are endless!  I only have gold, silver, black and white for colors so my test was limited.

I blended silver in the center of my verse with gold on the outer parts and a little black along the edges

for contrast.

My sample uses stamps by Sweet Pea Stamps dp by 7gypsies "nottinghill", corner die by memory box

"Macarena Corner", label dies by Spellbinders "Ornate Artisan".  The flowers are by Wilton with Copic color

airbrushed on the edges.

and here is a closeup view of the Sweet Pea verse itself:

I hope you have enjoyed this little lesson.

Connie

Connie-Wings 'N Things

This lovely stamp titled

"Angel Kisses" 

may be found on plate #17 or by clicking

HERE

It is unique in that there are both large and small images

of different angels with several very

nice verses as well.

When I saw this pretty paper by DCWV I knew

I would use it, just had to find a Sweet Pea stamp

that went with it!

Several dies were used: 

ivy die by Poppystamps

butterfly die by Cheery Lynn Designs

label 16 die by Spellbinders

pearls by Kaiser

gold leaf pen by Krylon

paper by DCWV "Mariposa"

I cut vellum for underlaying the butterfly wings

but you can't see it very well.

Run and check out those older Sweet Pea stamps

and you will find some very good deals!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Connie

Angel Wings

Hi Everyone,

I'm pretty sure everyone has days, weeks and sometimes months where life throws us a curve ball either in the form of stress, or the unexpected. Which leads me to the question: Do you believe in Angels? I do. Now with everything going on in my life this past week, I, not only had no time, but had not stepped foot into my craft room. Not to mention that it's been several weeks since picking up my Copics.

So I decided to surround myself with an Angel from Plate #17.

I suppose I could have colored her with Copics, but instead I used watercolor crayons and a bit of Twinkling H2O's on her wings. The sentiment is also from Plate #17 and couldn't be a more perfect sentiment ... so this card.... this one I created for me :-)..

Plate #17 was one of the first plates I had to have because .... well, because I believe in Angels and the stamps in this plate are beautiful. If you haven't checked out some of the early plates from Sweet Pea Stamps.... go check them out.... :-)

Pretty in Pink

I love using a monochromatic color scheme on cards and I thought pink would be perfect for Valentine's Day. I selected a wonderful stamp from ching-chou kiuk called Seeing Through (Plate #42). You can tell from my color scheme how different the image looks than the artist's depiction on the website.I used Spellbinders Nestabilities to cut out some specialty paper to frame the image after coloring it with copic markers. I used a whole pink family R81, R83, R85, R87, and R89 for most of the red/pink highlights on the image.

To complete the Valentine, I added a wonderful verse from the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; the saying comes from plate #17. The luscious flowers come from Queen and Co. The cardstock I used is from Bazzill and the cute borders are from Doodlebug.

Hope you have fun making Valentines for your loved ones!

Holley

Angel Domino Ornament

I have been trying to create little gems to hang on the tree rather than having all commercial ornaments. This is one of the things I have come up with. It uses the small angel image from Plate 17.

To work with a domino I suggest sanding it down, removing the shininess. I then added a touch of gold by smearing a Brillance Gold ink pad on the surface and allowing it dry. Next I stamped the angel image with black StazOn. Once it was dry, I colored some of the areas in with a gold colored pencil. Then I  placed a small square piece of paper over the stamped angel image to protect it. I then stamped the Corinthians passage on the exposed areas.

After all the stamping had dried, I sealed the front with Judikins Diamond Glaze and allowed to dry for a couple days. I run a piece of piece of Terrifically Tacky Tape around the edges and dipped it into some dark green ultra thick EP, heated that up and added a bead to the top with Amazing Goop.

Too early to think about Christmas?? Never, I am already halfway finished with my shopping! ttfn.

UTEE and Fantasy Art Stamps - Let's Play

Let's play with some UTEE and ching chou kuiks Fantasy Art stamps! 

Disclaimer: No rubber stamps were harmed in the process - just in case you were wondering :-)!

This project is a fun to do because you can let your inner artist come out to explore all kinds of different creative ideas. Basically I mean go wild and have fun! Gather your supplies and let's get started!
 

Supplies you will need:

• UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel)
• Melting Pot
• To Dye For Ink
• Pigment or Permanent Ink
• Rubber Stamps

 

• Craft Stick or Spatula
• Non-stick Embossing Craft Sheet
• optional: Dry Pigment Powders
• optional: Glitter, Beads, Charms, etc.
• Wonder Tape or Glue

Working on a sturdy, protected area plug in your Melting Pot. Pour clear UTEE in the pot to melt, cover with lid .

Keep your melting pot covered while the UTEE is melting. This helps to melt your embossing enamel more quickly and efficiently. 

(Having said that, once I started pouring the melted UTEE, I completely got lost in what I was doing that I did not put the lid back on in between pourings)

While we're waiting for the UTEE to melt, grab your Sweet Pea Stamp of choice. I grabbed the angel stamps from Plate 17, ching-chou kuik's Caribbean Treasure from Plate 36 and ching-chou kuik's Dark Sirene from Plate 24.
(Ok, I admit I dragged them all out - after all, I don't play too often with the Melting Pot and UTEE so when I do, I take full advantage of it :-) )

 

I used StazOn Azure ink to ink up my stamp. You can use any pigment ink, but I like the results I got with StazOn. Be sure to ink up your stamp really well.

Once the UTEE was completed melted, I added 3-4 drops of To Dye For Ink.

Using a craft stick or spatula, stir it really well.

Pour the melted UTEE onto the craft sheet.

Now hold your breath, lol and press your inked stamp into the melted UTEE.

As you press, it's normal that some of the melted UTEE will push out on the side - creating like a wedge shape. No worries, that's perfectly ok.

Leave the stamp in the UTEE until it cools completely.

I didn't have time to trim or apply repositionable glue on the back of the images from Plate 36 yet. I didn't let that stop me. As seen here, I used ching-chou kuik's Caribbean Treasure without an acrylic block.

Once the UTEE cools, the stamp will lift out easily.

Peel image from craft sheet, if desired trim while still warm or use a hot knife. I like the look of the excess UTEE and didn't trim any of it.

Save all excess pieces of UTEE or any pieces that you are not happy with because you can re-melt these. I safe mine in a sandwich bag for later use.
 

Oh you can also make your own dew drops :-).

Here is a close up (blurry - sorry) of the stamp after I peeled it off the melted UTEE.

See, no harm done. After a good scrub with StazOn cleaner, my stamps looked good as new!

Now you can embellish your piece with glitter glue or charms or you can use pigment ink powders to add more definition. You can attach your piece to a card or leave as is to use as a suncatcher. The piece will be see through, just remember that the stamped image will appear in reverse if you use the non-stamped side. If you plan on using it as a sun catcher, use a toothpick to poke a hole while the finished piece is still warm.

I wanted to create a piece of wall art, so let's continue:

Using card stock from DCWV's Old World Stack and my Lattice Shapeabilities pendant, I die cut 2 pieces which I glued back to back.

I applied my finished piece on top of the lattice die cut with Zippy Paper Glue and yes, my piece cracked. I left it like this because it adds character.... I like it :-). At this point, I could have called this piece finished.

But since I love hardware stores and wanted something a little sturdier, I dug out my Formica sample chips.

You can find these at any home improvement center in the cabinet/counter section.

Using a regular glue stick, I adhered a piece of DP cut slightly larger than the Formica swatch.

Next I used my sanding pad to sand along the edges which gives gets rid of the excess paper and finishes the edges.

I added my melt art on top of the covered Formica with glue. Finishing the whole piece off with different embellishments.

Here are a couple of close-ups!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I'm by no means an expert but the whole idea is to experiment and have fun.

As you can see from my piece, there are no mistakes just opportunities to embellish!

I'll leave you with another look at the finished piece!

Connie-Angel Kisses

This card uses images from Sweet Pea Stamps plate #17 which you will find
HERE I used my Martha Stewart Punch Around the Page set "Shells" for the focal image layer.  I stamped the Lady in Memories dye ink "Sepia" as well as the "love is patient" verse and layered that on some designer paper by DCWV "Blossoms & Butterflies" and that on some white cardstock before affixing to the brown Bazill Basics base.
I folded several Prima flowers "Calypso" in one corner and stuck them on with a small brad.
Sweet and simple with barely a touch of color.....just my style!
Connie

More Diagonal Tri-fold cards

I had so much fun making these small diagonal tri-fold cards that I've made more of them. You can see the dimensions and more about how these cards are put together in a previous post dated Jan 25, 2010. Or, you can Google 'diagonal tri-fold cards' to get more info about them.
I stamped this beautiful butterfly collage stamp found on Sweet Pea plate #2 using black India ink onto a background piece created on glossy card stock. Sorry for the glare that appears on my picture of the card front. Before doing anything else I used a Cuttlebug border embossing folder around all 4 sides of the front of the card. I then measured and cut a piece of silver metallic ribbon and attached it to the back of the butterfly image. I then attached the image and ribbon only to the left upper triangle of the card front.

With the left front panel partially opened you can better see the embossed edges of the front panels. I like how this Cuttlebug embossed border works so well with the design of the stamp. I think it provides an elegant, yet simple, look to the card.



The inside of this card is very simple. The 2 sentiments used are also on Sweet Pea Plate #2. I stamped them onto orchid card stock and trimmed with a decorative edge scissors. This is a small card and I think too much would overpower it. After all, it's the thought that counts.... and I love the thought that this sentiment is conveying.


For this diagonal tri-fold card I've chosen a sentiment as the front of the card. This sentiment and the images inside can be found on Sweet Pea plate #17. I love this sentiment and think this card is perfect to send to a special friend for no special occasion... just as a reminder that his or her friendship is special.
After cutting and folding the blue card stock, I cut a piece of decorative paper to be slightly smaller than the front panel. I cut that piece on the diagonal and attached each of the triangles to the left and right of the card front. I stamped the sentiment onto a small piece of blue card stock and then trimmed using an EK Success border punch. I attached a sheer blue ribbon to the back of the sentiment and then attached just the left side of the piece to the front left triangle of the card front.

In this picture I've flipped open just the left side of the card so that you get a better sense of how this card is folded. And you can see how the sentiment attached to the front of the card is only attached to the upper left triangle of the front of this card.



This is the card fully opened. These angel images are also on Plate #17. The miniature images on the left and right panel are the same as the image on the center panel. I stamped the miniature images onto an alcohol ink created background and the central image was stamped onto a piece of water color paper that I had sprayed with watercolor spray I had mixed using water and pearl ex powders. I matted the central angel image onto a piece of pink card stock so that it would pop a bit off the card.

The heart collage image found in the center of this card is on Sweetpea Plate #27.
After cutting and folding the card I ripped a piece of handmade background paper that a friend had given me. This piece is actually made from a brown paper bag! I centered it across the card front before cutting it in half on the diagonal and then adhered to the card front with double sided tape. I stamped the heart collage image using india black ink onto a piece of white card stock that I had sponged with various colors of distress inks. I trimmed to slightly larger than the heart. I measured and cut a piece of purple ribbon so that it would fit around the card and tie into a bow. I taped the ribbon to the heart first and then attached the left upper portion of the heart image to the left upper triangle of the card front only.

In this picture I've opened up just the left side of the card. I used some gold metallic heavy card stock pieces on the inside and stamped 2 of the sentiments and 1 of the other images from Plate #27. The card stock really soaked up the ink so the words and images are fairly light colored even though I used black india ink.


With the card opened to it's fullest, you can see the placement of the sentiments and the image more clearly. I used another piece of the same background paper on the inside center panel. I think it helps to highlight the stamped sentiment.

Love is...a Valentine

Here's one of ching-chou kuik's Fanasy Art stamps from plate # 22. I paired it with the "Love is" quote from Plate #17. It makes a beautiful Valentine.



I started with a large sized corrugated card from Paper Pallete. I took two ribbons, a black ribbon and a thinner red ribbon. Because the card is corrugated, it would be hard to attach the ribbon directly to it. I cut a thin strip of paper just a little smaller than the black ribbon. I used ribbon glue to adhere the ribbon to the paper strip and then glued the red ribbon on top of the black ribbon. I then used regular adhesive to attach the paper strip to the card.

Project Materials: Stamps (Sweet Pea Stamps Plate #22 and #17); Ink (Memento, ColorBox Chalk); Heart Brad (Bazzill); Round Tag (Stampin' Up); Cardstock (DCWV); Color (Copic Markers);

Cheers all!
Holley

Happy Valentines Day!

Here's a card I made to give out for Valentine's Day. I used one of the adorable images from Sheet #23 and paired it with a Bible verse from Plate #17.

I started by stamping the Valentine image and the text with Memento ink onto white cardstock. I used Copic markers to color the image. I outlined the final image in grey to help it stand out. I layered both the image and the sentiment on bright red paper. I selected flowers that would match the red paper. I used pink colored bling as an accent.

Hope this card gives you some inspiration for your Valentine cards.
Cheers, Holley

A diagonal tri-fold card

I used 2 images and one of the sentiments from Sweet Ppea Plate #17 when creating this diagonal tri-fold card.
The basics of this card design are:
- a 3 1/2 x 10 1/2" piece for the base. This piece is scored at 3 1/2 and 7" with both ends folded to the middle
- then score each end of the base piece on a diagonal, with both scores performed in the same direction. At each end of the base these are folded to the front of the card. This is confusing and may be better understood by looking at some of the following pictures.
- cut a piece of decorative card stock to 3 1/4 x 3 1/4". This will be used on the front panel. Then cut this piece in half on the diagonal and adhere to the 2 triangles that are the front panel of the card.

The angel image I used on the front panel was stamped with India black ink onto a piece of card stock that I had sprayed with homemade color mists I created using water and pearl ex.
The angel image attached to the front panel is only attached to the upper left triangle of the card front. To open this card untie the ribbon and then flip the left side open.
When I created this card I taped the ribbon onto the card behind the image used on the card front. You wouldn't need to permanently attach the ribbon.

Now, flip open the right side and you can see how the card looks opened. I used another image and a sentiment from the same plate (#17). The angel image is a duplicate of the image used on the front panel... just in miniature form. And the sentiment is perfect for this card and for someone special... "We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can only fly by embracing one another."
The miniature angel images were stamped with black India ink onto an alcohol ink created background. I stamped the sentiment with denim adirondack dye ink.
Here's another look at the open card so that you can see how the folds work to create this card. I think that if you Google 'diagonal tri-fold card' you may find other examples of this design.
I'm sure there is someone in your life that would love a specially designed card like this. It is really easy, give it a try!
Chrissy

A peaceful angel

This peaceful looking angel is only one of the 4 images that can be found on Sweet Pea plate #17, along with 4 verses that will warm your heart.
I created a background on white glossy cardstock with blue and purple alcohol inks... I love these color combinations! I stamped the angel image with black India ink and cut out the image. I mounted it onto silver metallic card stock and then put the rest of the card together before placing her in the center slightly to the left. The base is a purple card with a silver ribbon wrapped and tied to the left edge, close to the spine. I cut a piece of blue card stock and ran both the left and right edge through the Cuttlebug with one of the border embossing folders. The blue card stock was attached along the right side of the card. I cut a piece of decorative card stock so that it would fit onto the blue piece between the embossed edges, attached it, and then attached the image. Wouldn't this make a great thank you, or thinking or you, or even a Christmas card!!
Chrissy