She Who Stamps & Scraps

Canvas with Dylusions ~ My First Video

Before I say a word about the project, I want to say thank you to all of you who have shared videos on your blogs and on YouTube in the past.  What a learning curve this was... I had no idea (none!) how time consuming it is and how much editing is required.  Next time I make one it will be much shorter and I'll be wearing a good microphone.

Okay, now... on to the good stuff! I made this canvas for Eclectic Paperie using Dylusions Ink Sprays, one of my favorite Dina Wakley stamps, lots of stencils, inks, paint, washi tape, Prima flowers, and a few other goodies.

The video is free.

Kim is offering three different EP class kits to match the supplies I used in the video, so if you already have some of the supplies you can shop accordingly:

(1) Basic kit

(2) Basic + Inks   

(3) Basic + Everything

As I said, it's my first one, so please be kind. The screen went black for 15 seconds and I need to learn how to better control the mic.  But for free, it's all right!

Thanks so much for visiting today. I really appreciate it.

Marjie

How to Use Xyron Adhesives on Selected Parts of Your Projects

Hello! Welcome to followers old and new. I made this jumbo today using stamps, stencils, inks, paint, and water soluble crayons. I used my Xyron® 5” Creative Station to adhere the image and corrugated cardboard to my tag, and I'll share below how I kept her party hat 3-dimensional by controlling my adhesives.  I started out with these parts: 

Then I stamped the sentiment and covered it with embossing powder:

Heating the power brought the sentiment right to the top of all the layered stamping and stenciling beneath it:

I stamped and cut out the hat separately and ran it through the Xyron® 1.5” Create-a-Sticker:

I adhered it behind the hat the girl is wearing.  Next I put that stamped image (with two hats) through the machine, and after it came out I peeled off the 'dummy' hat and the main hat had no adhesive. So it's totally popped up and dimensional, yet the rest of her is really tacked down with adhesive.  Cool?!?

Here she is:

And here's a close-up of the corrugated cardboard, all inked and painted and distressed:

I love being able to put dimensional items like that through my machine. Be sure to visit the Xyron blog to see lots of other ideas.

I'll share this today at Creative Every Day.  Thanks so much for visiting!

Marjie 

Guest Blogger for Sizzix

Today it's my pleasure to be Guest Blogger on the Sizzix blog! I've been using Sizzix dies for nearly a decade, and it was a thrill to be asked. The hard part came in choosing which dies to use... in the end I used eight different dies with my Vagabond machine to create this accordion flip album. It folds flat for mailing/storage, but I like it like this, upright on a shelf.  It's tough to photograph a flip album, but I have loads up close-up shots over on the Sizzix site.

I used a 6X6 pack of Basic Grey Serenade papers from Eclectic Paperie to diecut the individual pages. I love using those paper pads for projects like this, not just because everything coordinates so well, but also because the small pad has patterned papers that have been scaled to size for a smaller surface. It wouldn't be the same to cut a large piece of patterned paper to fit these small (roughly 3" in diameter) pages.  

Here's a close up of the six pages:

I used loads of Tim Holtz's Idea-ology, made custom embellishments for five of the six pages, embossed, layered, punched, and of course... used my Sizzix dies!  

I've shared lots more photos including the how-to's over on the Sizzix blog... I'd so appreciate your popping over there to leave a comment and let them know you saw my project.  

And if you're on Facebook, please 'like' my page and add me to your Interest Lists to see when my blog is updated.

As my U.K. friends say, mahoosive thanks!

Marjie

Basic Grey - Serenade 6x6 Paper Pad

Dylusions Cling Stamps - The Right Words

Unity Stamp Company - Art & Possibility (Donna Downey)

Unity Stamp Company - Empowered Words (Donna Downey)

Distress Ink Pad - Black Soot

Art Journaling with the Kitchen Sink (Tutorial)

Okay, it's not really the kitchen sink... it's paint, archival inks, a Gelli Plate, copy paper, stencils, canvas, diecuts, two embossing folders, stamps, and alphabet letters. Whew!

Carolyn Dube's Gelli Plate Party got me started on this page, plus I knew Eclectic Paperie was starting a canvas challenge today, and the Fall Fearless & Fly challenge includes the color yellow.

After I got the print done the way I wanted, I added some Monarch Orange archival ink with stencils, then crumpled the page into a ball for added texture:

       

Next I inserted a corner of the print into a Sizzix Texture Fade folder, folding the remaining paper around it so it would fit into my Vagabond. I dry embossed two sections of the print this way. That's a major benefit of working on a loose page, because of course you couldn't put your whole art journal in there.  

      

I did some more stenciling, then colored, stamped and applied the canvas circles. I used a different Gelli print to cut the Sizzix Washer Border die. The print didn't look like much on its own, but I love the cut from it:

I stamped Dyan Reaveley's leaves onto packaging waste and moved it around the page to see where I'd like to use it. I do that all the time to try out positioning, because once you stamp in archival ink - you'd better be sure you meant it. 

           

I set up my small word on a scrap of cardboard, to make the tiny letters easier to work with, and to pop it up off the page.  Then I did the same packaging/positioning trick to decide on placement for my letters.

             

If you'd care to see more, I did a tutorial on using the Gelli Plate last month here.

ENABLER ALERT: Dick Blick has the Gelli Arts Printing Plate on sale right now.

Hope you'll pop over to the Eclectic Paperie blog for our canvas challenge, and also be sure to visit Carolyn's Gelli Plate Party, which runs through Monday.  Thanks so much for visiting!

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

Tutorial: Gelli Plate Prints

Thanks for stopping by!  Earlier this week I had an article published at Unruly Paper Arts showing a variety of prints I made with my Gel Arts Printing Plate.  I learned how to use it when Julie Fei-Fen Balzer demonstrated it during a class in October. Seriously? I went into that class thinking I do not need a Gelli Plate.  I have enough stuff.  I didn't even want to watch the Gelli Plate demo. However! Julie did such a good job, I had to buy it in both sizes!  Rude not to.  

The plate is best stored in the plastic packaging it arrives with. You can print with it on paper, fabric, etc.  I used deli paper (also known as waxed paper) which I buy in 500-sheet boxes and use for a variety of things.  This is what it looks like clean:

Set the plate down on your work space and spread a layer of paint on it. I like the inexpensive paints from Dick Blick.  Personal preference determines whether you use liquid acrylics or heavy body paints... just know that the thin layer will dry quickly so you do need to move fairly quickly.

                

You will get better results if you make a thin layer as in Photo #1, but I'm showing you two versions so you get a feel for how you can mix and play with your colors.

Lay a stencil on top of the wet paint and put a sheet of deli paper on top.

  

Press down on the paper with a brayer, or simply smooth it out with your hands.

                 

 Lift up to reveal the print:

I've done it again with a darker paint to make it easier to see.  Note you get the positive and the negative impressions, depending on how you flip the stencil:

The fun comes with layering.  I used a lot of different stencils (Stencil Girl, Prima, The Crafters Workshop) and a lot of different paints.  Here's a bold solid one:

And here's a more muted, softer print:

The sky's the limit with this plate! There are a dozen prints on the UPA article.  I think these last two images show how versatile the Gelli Plate is... no matter what your style.  I used the Sizzix Tag & Bookplates die to create my tags. 

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

Enabler Alert:  Dick Blick has them on sale right now!  Click the picture below to see.

 Marjie 

Wendy Vecchi Group Challenge and Masking Tutorial

This week the Wendy Vecchi yahoo group is looking for gesso (one of my favorite things) and Paper Issues wants stamping.  I pulled out a 12X12 piece of Ranger's manila card stock and went to town with it, and then cut it down into 6X6 quarters to use on different projects. I used Wendy's new flower stencil with gesso on the painted/inked panel.

There really is something special about that manila. I've tried using file folders but the paints and inks just don't show the same way. One of my favorite posts from earlier this year was showing as many projects as I could make from one piece of it, which I posted here.

This journal is made up of watercolor papers, and this page is one that's been painted with gesso to cover previous efforts: 

The challenge for myself on this was to bring the journal page up to match the manila paper. Because the paper bases were different it took some time to play with my Golden Paints to make a match. This is one of those ones where if you have time to let things dry, it's a pleasure.

I stamped the open design flowers randomly and then made a mask using sticky-back paper, like post-its:

I covered the flowers with the mask one at a time, then stamped Wendy's script background without a block, intentionally missing some parts. Then I painted over the page several times with different washes of color:

Last, I layered on paints and more stamps. I liked the way the gesso seeped into the paints on the manila piece, maintaining its white but showing traces of the underlying colors. Gave it a pop of magenta paint in the center and outlined everything with black Faber Castell gelatos, smudged with my fingers.

Thanks for the visit!

Marjie 

Creating Custom Papers with Gelli Plate (Tutorial)

 

I'm happy to demonstrate how to use the Gelli Arts gel printing plate today.  I learned how to use it in class with Julie Fei-Fen Balzer a few months ago, and I have to warn you, it's addicting. There's no right or wrong, and it's easy to make cool customized prints. I had an article on this published in Unruly Paper Arts earlier this week.  Here's the process: 

This is what the gelli looks like when it's totally clean. You clean it with plain old H2O. 

Apply paint with a brayer to make an even coat. You get different results depending on the paint you choose - liquid acrylics are the easiest to work with but they dry very fast so you need to keep moving.

Lay a stencil down in the wet paint.

Put a sheet of deli paper on top and either brayer it or just run your hands over the paper. You can definitely get a fine print just using your hands to smooth the paper down over the stencil.

Peel back to reveal your print.  I repeated with darker paint so you could see better:

Don't you love how you get both the positive and the negative prints?  Then you just keep layering and layering (since the paint dries so fast, I barely wait before applying another layer) and end up with super rich prints:

 

 

Enabler Alert:  Dick Blick has Gelli plates on sale right now... click below! 

Thanks for visiting!

Marjie

available in two sizes

available in 72 colors

The Kathryn Wheel, Part 11

Time to share my November page for Kate Crane's calendar project. I've used Tim Holtz's Faux Embossed Metal technique on this one, with lots of Perfect Pearls Mists from Ranger. In fact, pearls are the theme right now over at Simon Says Stamp & Show.

The shine on this one is pretty intense. I used Tim's Sizzix ticket dies and stamps on grey card stock to tone it down a bit. I have a full tutorial featured over on the Frilly and Funkie blog today showing how it came together.

Here's October all finished:

Power's still out. The President declared our county a disaster area yesterday which should help in getting help/restoration.  

Thanks so much for the visit. I appreciate it!

Marjie

 

Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists - Pewter	Ranger Perfect Pearls Mists - Blue Patina	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Harlequin Border Die	Sizzix Alterations Decorative Strip Tim Holtz Ticket Die	Sizzix Alternations Tim Holtz Movers and Shapers Ornamental Die
Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Rubber Stamps - Odds & Ends	Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Rays and Retro Circles Set	Tim Holtz Sizzix Texture Fades - Collage & Notebook Set	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Ranger Adirondack Acrylic Paint Dabber - Pitch Black
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Tiny Attacher Refills

Art Journal: Celebrate New Beginnings

Yesterday I christened my new Dyan Reaveley art journal and today I'm joining her Facebook challenge as well as Ronda Palazzari's One Little Word challenge and the second challenge over at Fall Fearless and Fly.

I'm a bit bursting at the seams with ideas at the moment and it's exciting and daunting at the same time.  As I'm working to open my Etsy shop very soon, the FF&F question (when did you take a chance, or make a leap of faith?) is timely. I'm on such a major learning curve right now with all the behind-the-scenes technical stuff, that it was a pleasure to put all that aside for a few hours and get inky with this page.  As Ronda brings the word 'Celebrate' to the table, I cross my fingers and smile, trying to take time to enjoy this busy time and not rush through it. 

I started with Dyan's Ink Sprays (orange, red and brown) and a piece of detailed K&Co scrapbook paper.  I used it as a base stencil to start building up the page. Don't worry if your blended inks don't look fantastic at first... you can do a lot with layers to make them shine.

         

Using a trick from Dyan, I added some stamping but only made partial imprints by curving the cling-mount stamp and rolling it onto the page:

Next I brought out some favorite stencils: Dyan's border (shown below), the circles/ bursts by Stencil Girl Products, and the rays from The Crafter's Workshop:

I colored my lady with Ranger's Distress Markers and did her wings with Dylusions Ink Sprays in a water brush.  I was thinking about where to go next and had to smile when I realized there were just enough spaces between the rays to fit 'celebrate.'

Dyan's challenge was to include orange, the words 'new beginnings' and a spider. (She'd be the first to tell you she's a bit out there!) I couldn't imagine where I was going to put a spider but once I wrote the words it seemed he was destined to hang from the word 'new.'

The stenciling I'd initially done didn't appear bold enough so I repositioned the stencils and added some jet black archival ink on top of the earlier brown.  I also wanted to bring out that yellow from her wings so I added yellow dots with a Posca paint pen.  Last but not least I gave my Flyer a perch to ground her (for now).

That's it for me.  Thank you so much for the visit, and I wish you a wonderful day!  

Marjie 

ps - if you're on Facebook, I'd love it if you'd go over and 'like' my new business page... thanks!!