Sunday, July 31, 2011

Pet Sympathy Card

Happy Sunday! Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

Choklad 10

I have a pet sympathy card to share today. It’s such a loss when our fur babies leave us and a card and a little treat might give some comfort. For this card I’ve used the beautiful sentiment Memory Becomes a Treasure and the dog stamp Springer.

Choklad 1

I got a box of mini chocolate bars to include in the card as a sweet treat. They are altered somewhat with some new paper and stamping to match the color scheme of the card.

Choklad 2

The stamp is from the Birdcage clear stamp set. Next up I use the chocolate bars as measures for how big the card will be. These bars turned out to be 3,5 x 4,5, and that is what the measure of the card will be too. The card consists of two pieces, a base (including a box for the chocolate) and a chocolate box lid. First the base.

Choklad 3

I cut and fold a base like above, fitting the measures of the chocolate bars. I glue the edges up making a container to hold the chocolate to the right. I also make a lid for it, cutting a hole in the center of the lid to let the chocolate under it show. To get the hole centered cut and fold the lid, and then place the die – I use the inverted scalloped circles die from Dies Direct.

Choklad 4

I love how the inverted scallops becomes scallops on the frame! :) And to make the window a little bit more “fancy” I use a sheet of gelatine, stacking the lid : cardstock, gelatine, patterned paper.

Choklad 5

I place the sentiment on the left side and decorate the lid with a heart made with the Heart Key Crown Clear Stamp Set and coordinated Die.

Choklad 7

The outside is decorated with the beautiful Springer stamp and a flower. The Springer stamp is stamped on water color paper and heat embossed. Then I colored it with Distress ink – Antique linen, Vintage Photo, Tattered Rose and Soot Black. The dog is cut out and glued down on a panel of patterned paper which has also been stamped with the same stamp. This way you don’t need to fuzzy cut all the minor details.

Choklad 8

And here is the front, with the Springer and a stacked flower from the Clearly Beautiful Flower Set and coordinated Die.

Choklad 9

Choklad 6b

Thanks for stopping by!

Tesa

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Sketch Challenge #2 Reminder

Hi folks! Hope you are all enjoying a beautiful July. Can’t believe it’s soon to be over. Yikes! Where did summer go??? Well, the end of July is also the end of our Sketch Challenge #2 and we would love you to participate. The cards entered so fare are absolutely FAB! :) :) :) and I can’t wait to see what more is up your sleeves!

Remember the sketch? Here it is. So many possibilities!

#2

I did another card using this sketch, flipping it over some.

true friend

The hearts and the sentiment are from the Heart Key Crown stamp set and I die cut the hearts with the coordinated die Heart Key Crown Die. And the banner (which I use over and over again!) is from the Hot Air Balloons Stamps.

Soooo, make a card using your Prickley Pear stamps, link it up with mr Linky in THIS POST no later than midnight (EST) July 31th and you can win a clear stamp set of your choice with a coordinated die!!!

Hope to see you play!!!

Tesa

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Distress coloring tutorial and a little tip!

Happy Thursday folks! Hope your week is a good one!

Dawn has presented a couple of great Copics coloring tutorials the past weeks (here and here) and I thought I’d chip in a Distress ink tut too since that is my personal favorite technique of coloring and I know there are still a few of us left. :) :) :)

Koala 1

You need a good water color paper to work with distress inks, which are water based and works pretty much like aquarelle colors. The colors used on today’s project are only three: Weathered wood, Soot black and Tattered rose. The black is for deepening some of the shadows and the Tattered rose to get some warm details around mouth and eyes and ears of the Koala.

1. Start with stamping the Koala with a water proof ink pad. I used Versa Fine. I also heat embossed it with clear embossing powder. This gives some edges around the different areas of the stamped image which makes working with water colors a little bit easier. (it wont smudge as easy).

Koala 2-1

Isn’t he totally darling!?! :)

2. Next water up the paper by ”paint” the stamp with plain water. This will make the paper ready and easier to work with, you will get smoother shadows and the colors will mix easier. Then start coloring the image with a thin layer of Weathered wood on the places where you want the color to be darkest. Think about shadows, where are the light coming from? I decided that it should come from the right which mean my first layer of paint is mainly based on the areas that should be shadowed in real life – the botton left mainly but also to the left of the nose and the ears.

Koala 4

3. This will give you direction when you continue. Water colors are all about layers, you put one layer on the other to build up the full painted image with nuances and shadows and all. I put on three or four more layers, a little at a time, carefully not to use to much color to drench it all.

Koala 5

4. At the end it’s time to add some of the Black soot to enhance the deepest shadows and paint the nose which is black, only leaving a small spot of it empty to give it a feel of shine. I also added some tattered rose, only a thin layer to make it look more warm and alive.

Koala 6-2_redigerad-1

Then it’s done and ready to be mounted.

Now over to the tip: The sentiment I’m using is a fab and big stamp – a perfect compliment to the Koala image. I want it straight in the top right corner of my card and I thought I’d share a little tip for getting the stamp right where you want it using some Lego (if you don’t already own one of those store bought devices). This is how I stamped the Tiger the second time on my Canvas tutorial.

1. Build a right angled corner with Lego. It’s fun! I dug into my boy’s toy box!

Koala 7

2. Place a sheet of acetate alongside the edges of the Lego right angled corner and stamp your stamp onto it by placing the acrylic block (if unmounted) or the wood block alongside the same walls. Like this.

Koala 8

3. Then you’ll get your stamp on the acetate and can place the acetate on your card and move it around until you see where you want it.

Koala 9

4. When satisfied, replace the Lego corner alongside the corner edges of the acetate, and carefully remove the acetate and stamp. Done! Wipe off the acetate with some stamp cleaner or baby wipe and you can use the same acetate over and over again.

Koalakort 

That’s all for me today. Don’t forget our Sketch Challenge #2 going on. All details can be found HERE! Hope to see you playing along!

Tesa

Sunday, July 17, 2011

A Koala Coaster with Dawn

Start with a tumbled marble tile... wipe clean first with a damp cloth... let dry.
Stamp the image with black stazon and color with C4 copic marker. be careful as the copic marker can smear the black stazon and erase it some.


Add some C6 and some light pink in the ears

Sponge the edges with black stazon

Stamp the sentiment and add some felt to the back and You are done!
Quick? you bet and how wonderful for a quick and fun gift!
Thanks for popping in and have a great day!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Sketch Challenge #2

The monthly sketch challenge with Prickley Pear Rubber Stamps continues with a new sketch and inspiration from the Design Team! Show us your take of the sketch and your use of the PPRS goodies by July 31th and you are in for the draw of the prize.
The Prize is one Clear Stamp set of the winner’s choice with Coordinating Die from PPRS!!! The Design Team have used some of their favorite Clear Stamp Sets and Dies on their samples, but first the Sketch by Nicole!

#2


Angelica

Card by Angelica. She has used the Spring Scalloped Circles set with the Scalloped Circle Die and the Clearly Beautiful Flowers set with the Flowers Die.

To a wonderful mom 1

Card by Tesa, using the Stella red rubber stamp and the sentiment from the Spring Scalloped Circles set.

Michelle

Card by Michelle, using the Clearly Beautiful Birdcage Set with coordinated Birdcage Die.

This card was quick and easy to do! I pulled out the Dragonfly & Rosebud ATC stamp , the Orchids stamp and the Clearly beautiful Dragonfly stamp set and die and scalloped circle die.


So! All you need to do is make a card based on the sketch showing off your best of PPRS and link it to Mr Linky down below no later than July 31th! Hope to see you play!!!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Copic Coloring Tutorial with Dawn

Color the ears and the areas over the eyes with E23... add some to the nose as well.

Using E25, feather some contrast aound the edges and where shadows would be... like under the eyes and around the muzzle 

Using E27,reinforce the shading for extra depth


to blend the edges... use E23 again and lay more color over the previous colored areas to blend.
notice the difference with the ears blended?


use E0000 to color the white areas of the dog


Shade with E41 and E42 


Blend the colors to reduce linds and create soft blending 


add spots on the muzzle with E25 AND  add crystal effects to the eyes and nose 

 
And here is my finished card!



and the inside...

 where do you write your note? I added a white scallopedoval to the back of the card to hise the glue dots and you can add a note there or on another sheet of paper allowing the sender to recycle and reuse the card!
I love the sentiment and it reads...
"The life and love we create is the life and love we live."
thanks for popping in!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Tiger Canvas Tutorial!

Hi all! Hope you are enjoying a lovely July and that you have time for some serious rubber stamping despite the Summer! I have a fun home décor project for you today using the new rubber stamp release with wild animals and beautiful sentiments: Tiger and Life and Love.

Tiger 2

This is a really easy project, but the end result looks like a piece of art! Ready for your wall, and maybe the kid’s wall??? You need a 4 x 4 canvas, a piece of white 4x4 cardstock, some old book paper, Gesso (or white acrylic paint, but Gesso is great since it doesn’t shine), ink (I use Versa Fine Onyx Black), clear embossing powder, copics in orange and light brown and a grey, (I use only three, the coloring is not the thing here) and if you like some modeling paste. But that’s only for some finishing structure, you do fine without it!.

1. Put the Canvas aside, you will want to work on the white cardstock piece cause the canvas is difficult to stamp on in a later stage. Tear pieces of the book paper and adhere it to the cardstock and cover it with a thin layer of gesso. You want the book paper look to come through. When done trim the edges.

Tiger 4

2. Stamp the image with a water resistant ink.

Tiger 6

3. Color the Tiger. :)

Tiger 7

You can do this rather quick, and it doesn’t matter if it smears some. We are going for a soft look here and will be covering the tiger with some Gesso soon. Something like this will do!

4. Cover with a thin layer of Gesso so that the tiger shape and colors are visible but softened out. The photo is shining some cause the paint wasn’t dry when I took the photo.

Tiger 8

5. Next step is to stamp the tiger again, we want the outlines of the Tiger to be a little bit more visible. But not too much, so I stamped the tiger once on a piece of scrap paper and then without re inking it I stamped again on my project.

Tiger 9

6. Time to stamp the sentiment. To make it stand out more I heat embossed it. I like the texture and the shine of heat embossing and I poured it over the whole piece and it stuck a little here and there besides on the sentiment. If you want to keep your project a little tidier, just wait until it is all dry before stamping the sentiment and pouring your powder.

Tiger 10

7. Adhere the project to the Canvas. I use Glossy Accent for this, cause that sticks on anything and it will never EVER let go! :) :) :)

8. Make the finish! If you have some modeling paste, ad some around the edges to get some structure. Cover it with some gesso when done. This medium is SUPER FUN and can be used to so many things. BUT you could just as well use some more gesso on the edges to frame it, to make the center pop. If you get Gesso over the sentiment while at it, simply wipe it off with a Kleenex. It’s heat embossed and gives a resistant effect.

Tiger 1

It’s done! :) Hope you could follow me and that you liked my little project! Have a fab day!

Tesa