She Who Stamps & Scraps

Art Journal Page... Taking Time...

I'm really enjoying the slow pace this week between Christmas and New Year's. We've been taking time to just relax and enjoy not having to be anywhere at any given time. We've gone to the movies and hung out at home, and today we're heading into the city to view the Warhol and Matisse exhibits at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. One's closing on Monday, and the other just opened earlier this month, so we're excited to catch some 'old' and 'new' all at once.

I've also been playing in my art journal (of course!) and am so glad to be part of the Eclectic Paperie design team, where just next week we're going to start hosting two challenges per month. The first will be an Altered Art challenge beginning on January 3rd, and the second will be a DT member's choice begining on January 17. We're calling that one the eTeam Picks Challenge. I am hosting and get to choose the theme for the first one on January 17th... hope you'll join us!  (You can sign up for email alerts of EP blog updates here.)

This page was made with the Sizzix Word Play die, Donna Downey's new Wayward Blooms stamp, a Sizzix texture fade, joint tape from the hardware store, Color Wash by Ranger, and lots of inks, stamps, and stencils. Here's a close-up on the texture from the tape (on the tag) and the texture fade folder (on the letters):

I'll be back Monday.  Hope you have a great weekend!

Marjie 

The Kathryn Wheel, Part 12 (and calendar review)

I'm so happy to post today's installment of Kate Crane's calendar project... I stuck with it and finished the whole year. These aren't traditional December colors, but Kate has no rules (which suits me fine!) and I went wherever my spirit took me each month. I enjoyed making this page with a combo of Dylusions Ink Sprays, stencils, inks, punches, a Sizzix alpha die, and Basic Grey papers.  Here's how the rest of my year turned out:

It's a pleasure looking back at the completed pages. I encourage you to join along in 2013... there's a ton of inspiration over on Kate's blog.

I'll take some time now to spend with my family and be back at the end of the week.  Wishing all who celebrate, a very Merry Christmas!  

Marjie 

Art Journaling with Gesso and Gelatos

Hello, friends. This is the first page I made in my art journal after soaking in Donna Downey's awesomeness last weekend. I took two of her classes and learned so much. I made this page with gelatos and gesso.

Additional photos and all the details are posted over on the Eclectic Paperie blog today.  

Thanks for visiting!

Marjie

ps - linking to Paper Issues open theme this week.

Tattered Florals Card and Take Ten Magazine

I made this card using Distress Inks and stencils, the Sizzix Tattered Florals die, and a Studio 490 sentiment stamp. I wanted to use one of Wendy Vecchi's new stencils and I chose the Fresh Flowers stencil. You get six shapes on the single stencil ~ three different flowers and three styles of stem.  Kim has all of Wendy's stencils in stock at Eclectic Paperie, including the new Brick Wall one that's on my wish list. (Santa has received a long wish list!)

The large black flower is dry embossed, the center one is heat embossed, and the small one on top is both dry and heat embossed. After stamping and dry embossing, I pressed the flowers into my Versamark pad and embossed with clear powder. 

I used spare chipboard pieces as spacers between the flowers to raise them up for added dimension. I also used Glass Bead Gel for the stem, which adds some really nice texture.  After the gel had set overnight, I used Dylusions Ink Sprays in a Water Brush to color the stem further.  The color soaked into the bead gel very nicely.

Love the way you can see the Glass Bead Gel but also see through it to the stenciling below. Last step was to dip the edges in Versamark and heat emboss them before mounting the panel to the black card. I'll enter this at Fashionable Stamping Challenges for their 'To Die For' challenge, the Wendy Vecchi Yahoo Group challenge, and Creative Every Day. I'd also like to share a card that was published in the Winter 2013 issue of Take Ten:

It has little stamping and plain cardstock, so it hardly feels like my style, but I made it for a Washi Tape challenge they had last spring. You have to submit so far ahead that sometimes it's nearly a year's wait to see if they accepted your submission.

Have you seen who's on the cover of this issue?  My dear friend, Lynne Moncrieff, who I know many of you hold dear as well.  Lynne does such intricate stamping and just gobsmackingly gorgeous work with lace.  Besides being the cover girl of this issue, Lynne has loads of gorgeous work featured inside as well. Check out her blog if you aren't already following... you'll be in for a real treat.   

Thanks so much for visiting today! 

Marjie 

Tutorial: Memory Glass Ornaments

    
Making ornaments this weekend was a surefire way to get into the holiday spirit! We got our tree, did most of the decorating, and pulled out our ridiculously large collection of Christmas music.

I had the tunes cranking while I made these ornaments using 2" square Memory Frames from Eclectic Paperie. You can fit up to three layers of paper in each, and they're very easy to use. Just lay out the pieces you want visible (front and back), plus a scrap to serve as a third layer if needed (depending on the thickness of the paper you choose). 

Stack the pieces with the glass serving as outermost parts, and gently set into the opened frame (it hinges open and closed quite easily):

       

Once it's held in place, continue closing the frame and slide the little tab on the upper right into the slot on the side.  All set!  

It's important to remember that anything you add (besides ink) counts as a layer.  I added a little punched snowflake to the snowman with the red scarf, and that meant not adding any other paper.  Same with the words I added to the blueprint snowman - that frame is full now with three layers (stamped image, back paper, and stamped words).

The larger snowman ornament has a sparkly gem glued to the outside of the glass above the punched snowflake, giving it a nice 3D appearance.  The Christmas tree and full-body snowman are from Tim Holtz's new Mini Blueprints stamp set.  

I stamped these on Specialty Stamping Paper which really makes a difference.  It's a bit more expensive but it takes ink like buttah! It's especially useful on small projects like this... I don't use it all the time but it really pops when I do. I masked off the two snowmen so I could keep their whites, white. Using a combo of Distress Markers and Distress Inks, I colored them in.  I used magazine cut-outs so the backs will be nice looking when hanging on my tree.  

Thanks so much for visiting. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. The frames and glass are available in a variety of sizes at Eclectic Paperie and they can be used for jewelry making, as well.

Have a great week!

Marjie 

Linking to Creative Every Day

Eclectic Paperie Design Team - First Post!

I'm posting today as a member of the Eclectic Paperie design team... so honored to join this talented team! My fellow new team members, Alison Bomber and Annette Green, are also posting today so please be sure to check out their creations, too.

It was fun to rifle through the box of goodies Kim sent from EP and come up with a plan. I knew I wanted to work with an inexpensive wood framed mirror I'd picked up recently at Michael's. The new Curiosity Collection from Authentique appeals to me and I realized I could make the mirror a teacher's gift since many of the patterns are school-ish.

I used two pieces of a Maya Road triangular chipboard album to make the frame more interesting, covered them with paper, and added Wendy Vecchi's Blossom Bucket flowers to each one. This is the first time I've used the BB pieces... they're really very intricate and highly textured, yet not too heavy.  I think I want to get another set and save it to use as stamps!

After cutting squares and distressing the edges, I embellished the plain teal squares with a Market Street Stamps alpha stamp and Dyan Reavely's letters background stamp, using black archival ink.

I started thinking of this hanging in a teacher's classroom and how there are frequently motivational signs in classrooms saying things like "You're a Star Student!" so I grabbed some Maya chipboard stars and covered them with more of the patterned paper.

I picture some little cutie Kindergartener smiling at his/herself in this one.  

Please visit Eclectic Paperie and check out Kim's site, store, blog, videos, etc.  On Tuesday, December 4th, EP is participating in Ali Edwards' December Daily Giveaway so you might want to sign up to follow the EP blog... there will be prizes!

Hope you have a great day!

Marjie

Maya Road - Mixed Scallop Triangle Banner Album

Wendy Vecchi - Blossom Bucket - Large Flower Centers

Authentique - Original Collection Kit

Dylusions Cling Stamps - Basic Backgrounds

Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot

More Big News... Joining the Eclectic Paperie Design Team

So happy to tell you I'm joining the Eclectic Paperie Design Team!  EP is a fantastic online store that will meet all your stamping, scrapping and mixed media needs. Kim, the owner, has recently started an online education arm and is offering classes and kits as well as all the things we all need/want/wish to have on hand.

Big plans are in the works for the New Year and I am really looking forward to teaching my very first online classes. What kind of classes would you like to see? How about challenges? What kind do you like, or not like? I'd really like to know. Just leave a comment, or message me.

Here's the team roster.  What an honor to design with these talented women: 

• Barbara Anders
• Alison Bomber
• Sherry Cheever
• Michelle Daigle
• Annette Green
• Micki Harper
• Tammy Hersberger
• Michelle Hill
• Broni Holcombe
• Marjie Kemper
• Mary-Ann Maldonado
• Julie Masse
• Tenia Nelson
• Kim Schofield
• Kim Teasdale
• Donna Marie Wheaton

My term starts December 1st. Can't wait to get started! 

Thanks so much for the visit.

Marjie