Less is more

Isn't it a blessing! We had a wonderful Spring day today! And that is something .. we have been experiencing cold, wind and rain most of the time. I am happy and I am joyful^_^ Here is what I have today.

For the challenge at simplylessismoore.blogspot.se I created this card. The theme of the challenge is Humour. The card is based on the challenge on deconstructingjen.com. This is such a nice sketch showing how a card made with less materials can be beautiful. So I will enter this card to both challenges. I used rubber stamps from Rubbernecker and the Big shot and a Cuttlebug folder to emboss the green layer of card stock. Other product used: paper flower, Cricut Expression, Stanger Perlen maker and Copic markers.

I hope you all may enjoy a wonderful Springtime!

12 Tags of 2013 - May

Hello everyone,

Another post, but this time a challenge on the Tim Holtz tag of the month May. Loving his products, but I don't have all the products he used for the tag of May. So it is a bigger challenge to be creative enough to his art. You'll be amazed buy the products I used, hèhèhè. Here is my tag for this month:

Products used:

Adirondack alcohol ink 'Caramel', Adirondack alcohol ink 'Steam', Glimmermist 'Bubblegum, Glimmermist 'Sweet clover', Dylusions ink spray 'Squeezed orange', Dylusions and Bubblegum pink' and water (of course).

I also don't have the enamald tags so I used a methal embellishment I found at a shirt I bought from American Today (most shirts of them have those metal). You will find these methal embellishment on the label at the inside of the shirt. They must be taken off if you want to wear your shirt in a comfort way:-) I think most people throw them away. I pierced a hole in the tag and I used a brad to fasten the embellishment to the tag.

Two more brads used to fasten the faux methal tag. I welded and cut out a tag from the Art philosophy cartridge. I used a Close To My Heart 'chocolate' ink stamp pad to distress the tag. Numerous rubber stamps from different brands are used s.a. Vivalasvegas, Dark room door, Hero Arts and Rubbernecker. I used rubber stamps instead of the rub ons. Instead of the film strip ribbon I used washi tape. I do not own this washi tape, but I recycled from an envelope that I received from a swap partner. Washi tape is easy to take off, so I recycle a lot of washi tape from envelopes I receive:-))

Penny Blossom digital image

Another coloured digital image of the wonderful collection of Penny Blossom. This digital image is 'Fairy tale'. To keep the focus on the digital image, I decided to use soft colours. Coloured with Copic markers and cut with a Spellbinders nestability. I was cutting greetings with my Cricut Expression. I cut one greeting too much, so I used it for this card. I often look for not rectangular or square shapes for cards. It is a challenge to play with these different shapes. For this shape I used the Cricut Craft room and the Art Philosophy cartridge from Close To My Heart to create the base card. Several sizes of the single form were cut for a nice matting. I stamped the digital image on card stock especially for alcohol markers from Make it Crafty. Make it Crafty calls it Make it Colour Blending Card. I haven't tried a lot of card stock for alcohol markers, but the Make it Colour Blending Card is a very nice blending card for Copic markers. It also have a very nice thickness for making cards.

No image cards

A challenge on this Monday. It is the challenge on deconstructingjen.com. I tried not to use stamped images on my cards. There are alternatives and instead of looking helpless when I lack for a coloured image:-) That's when I thought about making some cards without a stamped image on them. The sketch on deconstructingjen.com gave me a good start. I used the Cricut machine to mix and match the layers of the arrow shapes. It is easy to pick and drop the images and see if the smaller size will fit in the larger shape. Then separate them again and cut. All Just a Note card or Just say hi cards; cards you can send on a random occasion. Three of these cards are for a swap. I'll see to whom I'll send the other two cards^_^.

I see I missed the dots on the card. I just added the dots and I also added some 3D Crystal Lacquer on the paper dots. New pictures will be uploaded as soon as the drops are dry.
  

Not so proud of my second attempt of taking pictures of the card with dots:-(

Using my Cricut Expression I cut out this sentiment from the Wild card cartridge.

I used a Inkadinkado clear stamp "Just saying" collection.

I added a pin to this card. I took a long pin and added some beads with 3D Crystal Lacquer. With a
Cuttlebug embossing folder I embossed the white card stock and with a 'Double dies' die cut I created the window. Using my printer and Microsoft Office Word 2007 I printed the greeting on patterned paper. A nice and cheap way to add any text (or image) you prefer to your cards.You can also use different fonts as I did on this card :-))

 Again the 'just a note' cut out of the Wild card cartridge. This time the words are not all welded. For the little hearts I used a paper punch. The white card stock and the hearts are on foam tape.

I smashed it!!

A smash page in my handmade art journal:-)) I wanted to scream some frustrations out... On the other hand I was very glad and happy; a burden fell off my shoulder and it felt good. So I took my art journal to let my feelings off on a page. I recently and accidentally ran up to a very cute image. The image is from the sweet Penny Blossom who has these gorgeous digital images. I love her dolls and I purchased a couple of them. Some of her images also have a sentiment. This sentiment fit to how I felt yesterday. I wanted to use colours that correspond to my mood. I enjoyed making the page. And it was a great feeling! That is all that matters:-) Sometimes life feels like it is a burden, but keep the courage everyone! Hang in there!!!

I used Copic markers for the image. I painted the background with Hobby Line acrylic paints (Lemon yellow and orange). It is mat acrylic. I also used a stencil from The Crafter's workshop with Dylusions ink sprays; colours used sweetened orange and bubblegum pink. Very clear substance with vivid colours:-)

I used quotes for some inner strength. The little tag is from Yoghi tea. The have awesome quotes with every teabag. You'll see different washi tapes here and there. A Close to my Heart tag which I stamped with a acrylic stamp of the Art Philosophy collection. The die cuts, the butterfly and the washi tape are from 'I don't know which brand'. Hehehe, I just mean brand is unknown and not written on the products:-)

Soon >> a handmade greeting card using Penny's images^_^

Digital paper packs

Digital paper packs are often used for scrapbooking, but it can also be used for your handmade cards, smash books, art journals and even for ATC's. The benefit of digital paper is that you do not need a lot of space to store them. You make your choice before you print them. Another benefit is that they cost less. Isn't that a profit? Shery K Designs has awesome digital paper packs. I love the colours and the papers match in a pack. No more looking around for a matching pattern:-) Save yourself space and money! Check it out here.

A bunch of greeting cards and postcards

Greeting cards using a rubber stamp from The Greeting Farm rubber stamp.

 

Postcards using Sweetpea rubber stamps.

Postcard using a rubberstamp from Viva Las Vegas rubberstamp.

Postcards using free images; the last postcard I used a masterboard.

Happy Mothersday to everyone!

A day to enjoy:-) And I do enjoy this Sunday. I hope you all do. Not a lot of crafting here; I did some colouring. Friday I created an owl card and Saturday a card with a garden. With the help of  a Sarah Kay image and copic markers and my Cricut Expression using the Create a Critter cardridge I came up with these cards.

NOthing much to chat about. See you next time:-))

Thank you cards

For a swap a Thank you card. Not much to chat about today. I had to make one card, but once in the mood I created two Thank you cards. The flower on the first card is created with circles; something I saw on the internet and figured out how to make it. This is my version of it. I used two Cuttlebug embossing folders and a Spellbinders die cut to make the butterfly. Foam tape keeps the upper wings of the butterfly from laying too flat on the card. The patterned paper is doublesided. I played with the patterned paper and made a fold in the left upper corner. The greeting is an clear stamp from American Crafts stamped on card stock with Stampin' Up inkpad and I used foam tape to alter the greeting. Here are pictures. Enjoy!

For my second card I used Stampin 'Up card for the base card, a Marianne Design embossing folder. It makes nice cut in the paper too. I added ribbon, two pearl stones, a freebie digital stamp and a freebie tag saying "Thanks a Latte". The cat is stamped on GinaK card stock and I coloured the image with my Copic markers. I also used foam tape to pop up the cat. Colours I used: E31, 33, 39, RV21, 23, W3.

Refill your Zig 2 way glue pen

Did you know you can ... yes, you can!, refill your Zig 2 way glue pen??? Really, you can. I am talking about the squeeze & roll glue pen. Wait, I'll take picture of the Zig 2 way glue squeeze & roll pen.

I love use the glue pens, because there so easy to use on small paper. And I only use them on smalll paper, which I often have to use when making cards, ATC'S (not making ATC's for a while), little gems, etc. There easy to use, since there is less spoiling glue.

As you see this pen has a barrel filled with the blue, typical Zig Memory System glue. My pen run dry and I immediately thought of buying a new glue pen. But it was weekend, then. And that is when my mind went on a creative tour. I told my youngest daughter that I probably can refill the barrel. You can't see it on the picture, but my pen, my barrel is filled with white Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over glue.

What do you need to refill this glue pen?
An old, empty Zig 2 way glue  squeeze & roll pen
Some Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over.

There are a lot of youtube video's showing how to water down the Aleene's Tack-It Over & Over, so I don't have to explain that. Please head over and look for a good vid. Talking about video's; I'll make a video on how to refill your Zig 2 way glue squeeze & roll pen.

I have my Aleene's in a kind of jam bottle. It may be tricky to unscrew the top of the pen. But don't give up; clean the nib and unscrew. Be careful! You don't want to break the screw system.

After opening the barrel you'll noticed it can be refilled. Refill the barrel, but DO NOT refill the barrel to the top! Close the barrel with the nib and tighten the nib on the barrel. Another caution!!! Don't squeeze to hard, the glue is liquid!! So take care when tightening and squeezing!! Your Zig glue pen is ready to reuse:-)

My motto: recycle whatever you can!!

 

 

I wondered if the other glue pen systems can be refilled. My daughter has an answer, but can it be done? I don't know and I already have thrown away the empty glue pens. Thinking ... thinking ... I'll be back!

A new digital image

This is an awesome digital stamp! I just ran up the website and I love the girls. And of course I just wanted to colour this stamp. Well, here is the card. It is quite bigger than the 4,5x5,5 inch card. But I must say that working on a somewhat larger scale is more pleasant:-)

Coloured with Copic markers. The challenge was colouring blonde hair. I used the Y21, YR23 and E35 combination. A good outcome and I love it. I forgot to write the numbers of the markers I used, but let's see if I can recall. E000, 0000, 00, 02, 11, R24, B60, 63,66, 93, 95 an Y08. I forgot to colour the ribbon in her hair, hihi...

Flower fairy

The sun is shining ... still a fresh wind, but such a beautiful day:-) Thursday we made a trip to Rotterdam; we returned very exhausted at home. One participant of the Flower Fairy round robin, Trish, never got her art journal back. It got lost in snail mail. At her request I sure want to make her a Flower Fairy art journal page. I hope she will receive enough pages to make an art journal. I still had to start this page for her. Just thinking how and what. I made this drawing on Wednesday night; my hand just flew over the watercolour paper. In one attempt and I was very, very satisfied. I even wondered if I would send this out.... but I created it for my partner and I will send it out. Yesterday I did the colouring. I used Tombow markers and Stampin' Up markers. The Stampin' Up markers were used for the finishing touch. The Tombow markers for the majority of the colouring. I doodled on the page and I'm in love with this Flower Fairy:-)

 

Aren't these very nice pictures? We have a tremendous sun shining and maybe the good light helped me a lot:-) Love the pictures!! I hope you like the Flower Fairy, Trish!?