12 Tags of 2014 - February (Part II)

Hi everyone!  I'm back with my second tag of 12 Tags of 2014 - February.  You can will my other one here.

In many cases, when I am making a card or a tag, I tend to make a couple at the same time.  They are sometimes very similar but sometimes quire different.  Here, I am using similar techniques but different products, resulting in a Valentine's/ Love card:

I started with using the Movers and Shapers hearts but they were too small so I went with the other heart with wings and a crown.  I layered the hearts with different glitters and it does pop out nicely.  I used distress paint on the crown while stickles on the wings.  The variety of shimmer gives it a lot of dimension.

I have never played with my mirror sheets and since I had the movers and shapers hearts out, I wanted to give them a try.  I wanted to create the effect that when the recipient receives the card, he/she sees him/herself through the hearts, as if my heart is filled with him/her. 

Did I mention that sometimes I make similar cards at the same time because I try to avoid the risk of starting all over again in the event of a mistake?  When I was preparing the tag's background, I accidentally used the Frosted Crystal instead of the clear embossing powder.  The frosted crystals look nice on the tag and I'll save if for a different project.

I'm linking up my card to
Craftin Desert Divas - Glitter
Paper Nest Doll - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiment - Love
Party Time Tuesday - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

12 Tags of 2014 - February

I had loads of fun while I was making my February Tag/Card!  In fact, I made two of them at the same time, but with different themes.  They both made use of the same techniques but they turned out very different.  I can't decide which one gets my vote.  Is it just the same when a mom is asked who is her favorite child?  J/K.

But for the faux patina shown in the metal charm, it is dull and monochromatic - the background was accomplished with the Harlequin stencil while the tag with the Stars stencil.  The top had Squeezed Lemonade, then Mustard Seed in the middle and Spiced Marmalade at the bottom.  I think the Harlequin stencil was released right before Christmas last year and was supposed to be Christmas but I can't stop using it on masculine projects.  It has officially become my go-to masculine stencil!

I finally got to try the Chalkboard technique.  It looks pretty cool in real person, and the touch of chalk is amazingly realistic.  It's not just a stamped image that resembles chalkboard image, but a real image with chalk involved! 

I also tried a variation in using Distress Glitter.  I have never been a big glitter fan but I couldn't resist trying it out.  My variation makes me happy as the glitter seems to settle pretty well.  Nothing bothers me more than stray glitter on my fingers after a gentle swipe on the card.

The entire card is rather vintage, so I must distress the Paper String.  This thing is fun!  It's a string made of paper - not as flexible as baker's twine but distress friendly.  Most important of all, does it remind you of old packaging?  Fun string indeed.

To turn my tag into a card, I just stuck it on a 5"x7" card without alteration.  I'll probably put it on my desk for a while as it serves a good reminder for me to step outside the comfort zone when it comes to crafting. 

A closer look:

I like that the glitter stays flat on the star.  When I first did it, my glossy accent applicator (my index finger) casually swiped an uneven layer of glue on the star, leading to bumpy glitter which was very ugly.  What makes that worse was that the glitter did not stay put.  I admit that I have overlooked this seemingly easy task.  To tell you the truth, that was the part that took me the most amount of time.

I am glad that I've finished my 12 Tags of 2014 - February.  Be sure to check out Tim Holtz's blog.  Tim Holtz shows us how to achieve the chalkboard technique and apply glitter.  Take a look at other participants' projects too. It is a plethora of inspiration.

My card is also linking up to
Craft Little Fairies - One for the Boys 
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Polka Doodles - Anything Goes
Craftitude - Anything Goes

I will be sharing my other card later this week.  Until then, happy crafting!

Coloring again

I said I was off to play with coloring and here I am sharing another card with you!  This time I played with color pencils.  I have a set of 72 colors but I've only used a few for my card here:

I am a sushi fanatic so I have been waiting excited for the release of this new stamp set from Lawn Fawn.  How cute!  Unfortunately the coordinating dies are already out of stock, so I was just playing with a few stamp images that did not require too much difficult fussy cut. 

The sketch came from Techno Stamper:

 



My card is linking up to
Paper take weekly - Lovely Layers
Crafty Girls - Anything Goes
Card Makin' Mamas - Stack it up

Thanks for stopping by!

Fun with coloring

What is your favorite coloring medium?  Copics?  Color pencils? Markers?

I have yet tried Copic markers as they seem quite intimidating to me.  When I heard that there are dozens of the shade for each color, I am overwhelmed and have no idea where to start.  Having said that I am always tempted to try Copics.  Who isn't impressed by the realistic image as a result of Copic coloring?

I have invested in a big set of color pencils and watercolor pencils.  I also have a set of distress markers.  I use them from time to time, but not as often as I wish.  Today I purposefully took out my distress markers and the stickers from Elizabeth Crafts and meant to play with them.

I colored a flower and made a card with it:

This timeless sketch is provided by Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

Coloring is a relaxing and therapeutic activity.  I have heard many coloring professionals that beginners over-worried about lighting and shading thus missed the fun with coloring.  When I color, I try not to analyze the image and just color happily.  Usually it comes out fine.  One nice thing about coloring with distress markers is that it is very forgiving and the open time to salvage is pretty long.
I'm off to color some more!

My card also links up to:
Craft Your Passion Challenge - Girly Girl
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Crafty Sentiments - Anything Goes
Cuttin and Stampin - Spring is here!
Sister Act Card Challenge - Anything Goes
Challenges & Candies - Spring is Around Corner

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Crafting!

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone enjoyed the President's Day weekend. 

I tried to catch up on a couple of scrapbooking projects but was distracted.  Sometimes scrapbooking projects can be quite intimidating.  I turned to cardmaking for a break and made this Christmas card.

I've used the scraps from the albums I made last Christmas.  I cut various papers at different widths and arranged them on the Kraft card base.  A big circle was cut to mat the tag and the Santa.  Quick and easy.  I love that I used up those scraps!

My card is linking up to the following:
C.R.A.F.T. Challenge - Christmas
Crimbo Crackers - Santa
Amusing Challenge - more than 6 papers

The time tunnel

Sometimes I love to travel through the time tunnel and visit my old crafty friends.  Yes I like to visit those supplies that I have hoarded over the years.  I have this disease that I am always afraid to cut the pretty paper.  I'm worried that once I cut it in the wrong direction or in the wrong size, the project will become doomed.  It is hard for me to consider that as an opportunity to embellish when I was so focused on making the project in my head.  In reality, however, my project continues to evolve as it is taking shape, I really should not worry too much.

There is this stamp set and this paper pack that always remind me of the fond memories - Aspiration stamp set and Unforgettable paper from Close to My Heart.  They represent my very first experience in playing with coordinating stamp sets and paper.  I saw this color combo at Color My Heart and the paper used, so I thought I should jump right on it.  I had so much fun with playing with the set and paper that I actually have made two cards.  I am sharing one today:

I guess I am biased.  I don't think that after all these years the paper or the image seem dated.  They still look fresh and pretty to me.  :)

My card is linking up to Color My Heart Color Dare challenge:

and Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge:

Stampin 4 the Weekend - Flower Power
Creative Fingers - Anything Goes
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
4 Crafty Chicks - Pearls
Crafty Girls - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Love you tons

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!  I didn't give out this card on time as I was too tired to finish it off after work yesterday.  Nevertheless I think its cuteness will make up for its tardiness.  I surely had tons of fun making it and I'd love to convert it to other types of cards.

It is a three dimensional card but you could fold it flat.  How nice!  I made the box with Kraft cardstock then added patterned paper to decorate it.  Then I cut many hearts from various patterned paper and stuck them to the anchoring bars in the middle of the box.  The picture above is a top-front view but if you look at it from the front the hearts appear that they are floating. 

One note that I want to make to myself is that the cute Love You Tons stamp set from Lawn Fawn can be used not just for Valentine's Day cards.  I think it will be a cute card to say "tons of happiness" for a birthday card. :)

My card is linking up to the following:
Artistic Inspiration - Anything Goes
Bunny Zoe - Love
Eureka - Love is in the air
Kaboodle Doodle - To my sweetheart
Card Mania Challenge - Love is All Around
Papertake Weekly - With a Heart
Paper Minutes - Love is in the air
Paper Crafting Journey - Love is in the air
Jo's Scrap Shack - Happy Valentine's Day
Polkadoodles - Love/Romance


Thanks for stopping by!

My first attempt

I am sharing a card that shows my first attempt in using white embossing paste.  The white embossing paste comes in the same container as the silver embossing paste but it is a lot lighter as if it is empty. 

It is my first time using embossing paste with plastic stencils.  It turned out pretty well - I didn't have any problem putting an even coat of paste on it, and it was easy to remove the stencil leaving the paste intact.  It was left to dry overnight, as I have no idea how long it would take, even though my coat was thin I didn't want to take any risks.  I was happy to see the beautiful results and couldn't wait to come back to play with it.

I was asked if I could make cards without any sentiment.  I rarely do that but I did give it a try.  Does it really need a sentiment? 

I have not used vellum in ages.  I found a strip of pink vellum in my scrap folder that has been sitting there for ever.   I didn't really think that I would use this strip one day but I did.  This is one of those happy moments!

My card is linking up to:
Creative Finger - Anything Goes
Sister Act Challenge - Anything Goes
Hiding in My Craft Room - Scraps
Dream Valley - Tag
Come and Get it Challenge - Butterfly

Thanks for stopping by!

time to CELEBRATE

I am sharing a one layer card with bright vibrant colors today.  In preparation to enter the challenge of One-Layer Simplicity #2: "Can you repeat that?" I first wanted to use a big floral stamp and repeat stamping it, but it turned out to be a bit boring so I turned to see what I could do with my background stamps. 

I first made the masculine version but I like this feminine version a lot better:

The masculine version does not make me as happy as the feminine version, probably because of my bad choice of colors:

What's interesting is that I thought it could only become a masculine card (that's why I started with this second one), then because it didn't make my heart sing I changed up the colors and also my mind as to whether it can be a girly birthday card.  I guess I can't really envision the card before making it, thus always creating trash in my craft area. LOL.

The feminine version is linking up to:
One-Layer Simplicity - Can you repeat that?
Through the Craft Room Door - Anything Goes
Addicted to Stamps and More - Anything Goes
Crafting By Designs - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi everyone!  Just a quick post to share a Valentine's Day card.  I am very happy with the results of applying Distress Pint on wood veneer embellishments:

During Christmas sale I got quite a bit of wood veneer embellishments but I have not really used them until recently.  I love how Distress Paint gives full color coverage!

My card is based on the sketch from Mojo Monday:

The sketch looks complicated and I was intimidated when I first saw it.  I'm glad that I tried it out and made a V-day card.  :)  I've also played with the Wink of Stella Clear brush - I added the shimmer to the word "LOVED" and 2 (heart) 14.  The heart was added glossy accent after the shimmer has dried.  It is quite a bit of dimension.  Love it.

My card is linking up to the following challenges:
Artistic Inspiration - Anything Goes/Hearts
Crafty Your Passion - Love is in the Air
Lexi's Creations - Valentine's Day
The Paper Nest Doll - Anything Goes
Cheerful Stamppad - Love/Valentine
Pals Paper Arts - color challenge

Thanks for stopping by!

Stencils

Hope you had a fun superbowl weekend. 

I have been designing a lot of cards and some of them made use of stencils.  They are really popular now and I couldn't resist trying them out.  Many of them are somehow related to nature.  I noticed it after the fact but am pleased with that.  Who doesn't love our mother nature?

First up is this tree that I used silver embossing paste on a Dreamweaver stencil.  It is my second try but I'm afraid that I have yet mastered the skills of putting an even layer of paste over the stencil.  Nevertheless this simple card will serve a great masculine card.  I guess I'll practice more to make it perfect!

Next up is this birdie card.  I used a Memory Box Garden stencil to emboss a piece of white cardstock, then stuck it on a dark green cardstock at an angle, and finally added my famous Close to My Heart birdie.  I've previously tried embossing with stencil but I guess all stencils are different.  Note to self: need to find out the perfect formula for embossing.

This third card made use of the harlequin stencil by Tim Holtz, along with a stamp image from Stampers Anonymous.  It is a super simple monochromatic card.  Love the shades of blue and the vintage card on it.

Finally this is my favorite - double stenciling, using Heidi Swapp stencil and Memory Box dies.  I used an applicator to put distress on the butterfly.  Just love the ease and the great impact.  Of course, the rainbow colors make me happy too!

I'm digging up my mists and that would be the next thing to do with my stencils!

My butterfly card is linking up to
Less is More - Rainbow
Totally Gorjuss - Sunny colors
Come and get it - Butterflies
Avenue 613 - Anything Goes
Challenges for everybody - Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by!