Happy Turkey Day!!!

I have been taking it easy for about the past 10 days, after completing my last project for the Pazzles 2009 Design Team, but today I decided that I wanted to participate in the Splitcoast Stampers Sketch Challenge (SC248). If you would like to participate, you can find it here! I decided to make mine a Thanksgiving Card!



The multi-colored "punched leaves" were punched from a paper that I designed using "alcohol inks" and the copper looking ones were punched from a paper that I designed using a metallic paint. The black decorative elements on the left side were cut using my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" and a cutting file from the Pazzles "Swirls & Twirls" CD. The center black "lacqured" panel was designed by me. I stamped the black CS using VersaMark and a couple of leaf stamps and then used my Perfect Pearls. I then VersaMarked the entire panel, covered with clear embossing power and heat set three times. Thanks for looking!!!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.5"


Supplies

Papers: Embassy Black Cardstock by Ampad and "King's Gold" and "White Gold" Metallic Cardstock by Wausau
Stamps: "Leafs" from Spring Blossoms Clear Stamp Set by Inkadinkado, "Butterfly" from Lotus Greeting Stamps by Amy Butler by K&Company and "happy turkey day" by Studio G
Ink: VersaMark "Watermark" by Tsukineko
Embossing Powder: "Detail Clear Transparent" by Stamp-n-Stuff
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", Ranger "Heat It" and Provo Craft "Cuttlebug"
Accessories: The Robins Nest "Dew Drops", Leaf Punches, Provo Craft "Leafy Branch" Embossing Folder & "Vintage Die", Tim Holtz Adirondack "Alcohol Inks" by Ranger, Ranger "Perfect Pearls" and "Lumiere" Metallic Acrylic Paint by Jacquard

I won "Designer of the Month"....................

at the Pazzles company for August!!! My inspiration came from a "Try a New Technique" Challenge at Splitcoast (TLC223) called "Butterfly Box"...you can get all of the details about it here! This was announced back in September, but I'm just now getting around to posting this on my blog, as I had to keep it private until the Pazzles company made their announcement!

Quite sometime back, I had designed a "Butterfly" cutting file for the Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" and I decided to use the butterfly to make my own butterfly box and use it for my August project. In this project we were supposed to incorporate some Ranger "Claudine Hellmuth Studio Sticky-Back Canvas". I decided to use a background paper and some leaves from a free digital scrapbooking kit named "Misty Morning" by Joni Gray. If any of you would like the kit, it is free and can be downloaded from her blog here! She has quite a few other free kits at her blog and they are all lovely! I then printed the background paper and the leaves on the canvas using my Epson R280 inkjet printer. I cut the "inner" panel on the front and back of the box out of the printed canvas using my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" and I also used some of the printed canvas to cover the handle that I had cut out of a cereal box (you can also use chipboard). When I adhered the canvas panels, I noted a bit of unraveling, so I cut a black border (using my Pazzles), covered it with VersaMark and then some glittered embossing powder, set it with my heat gun and adhered it to the canvas panels.....that took care of that problem! I used my original butterfly design to cut some butterflies for embellishments, added some Dew Drops and a black satin bow! For winning "Designer of the Month", I won $100 worth of product for my Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter"...I LOVE shopping!!! Here are some photos:




Thanks for a taking a look!!!
Supplies

Papers: Bazzill, Canson "Effects Papercraft" (Plum Iridescent, Kiwi Iridescent and Papaya Iridescent for the butterflies) and Westrim Crafts black cardstock (for border and butterfly bases)
Inks: Tsukineko "VersaMark Watermark"
Embossing Powder: "Star Dust Transparent" by Stamp-n-Stuff (for glitter trim on handle)
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter"
Accessories: Bow Easy, Martha Stewart "Smoky Quartz", "White Gold" and "Florentine Gold" glitter & glue, Deedlebug Black "Crushed Velvet Flock" (bodies of the butterflies), The Robbins Nest "Clear Dew Drops" (I colored them black with a Sharpie) Spare Parts "Black Brads", "Black Satin" ribbon by Offray

Oh, how I wish that I could take better photos!!!!

Today I participated in the Splitcoast Stampers "Ways to Use It" Challenge (WT234)....you can find all the details here. We were supposed to "Sand It" and I decided to use a piece of cardstock from the Core'dinations "The Whitewash Collection" which is my favorite! I embossed the cardstock and then sanded it with one of my nail buffers!

The "designer" patterned paper was printed on my brand new Epson Stylus Photo 1400 (wide format inkjet) from a digital scrapbook kit that was a free download (some time back) at ScrapArtist. The kit is by Lisa Cohen and is called "Joyful Spirit". It's a very small kit but I happen to LOVE this paper and it printed out so great using my new printer. I printed it on a piece of white cardstock (12"x12") that I've for ages (don't know the brand or the weight), and I did it "border to border" and I was amazed at how it looked..............looks just like a sheet of Basic Grey, etc. paper that I buy at the crafts stores!!! If anyone is looking for an "afordable" wide format printer, you don't want to miss out on this. Office Max is selling these babies for $199.99. My old Epson 1280 cost me $459 but does not work correctly with Vista and well....it's 8 years old and that's old for a printer!

The blue Bazzill cardstock that I used is really pretty but shows up darker in my photo and I was unable to correct it in Photoshop, but trust me it's REALLY pretty IRL!!!!

At any rate, I kept the card pretty simple and made it a "thank you" card, as I can always use them!!! Thanks for stopping by and looking!
Finished Card Size: A2/4.25"x5.5"



Supplies

Papers: Bazzill, Core'dinations "The Whitewash Collection" and "Digital Designer" patterned paper by Lisa Cohen
Ink: Brilliance "Pearlescent ky Blue" (for inking label edges)
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter" and Provo Craft "Cuttlebug"
Accessories: Provo Craft Cuttlebug "Elephant Thanks" and "Just My Type Set" embossing folders and "Vintage" die (corners), "Sheerly Yours" Offray Ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilities "Labels Four", The Paper Studio "Pearls"

I used a new technique today!!!

I really needed to make a "thank you" today and I decided to use the "Masked Frame" technique that was Splitcoast Stampers "Technique Lovers Challenge" (TLC236) for this past Monday! My photo looks a bit small, but if you click on it you can get an enlarged view! If you would be interested in it, you can read all about it here! All of the beautiful stamps that I used are some Inkadinkado stamps that I just recently purchased from Crafty Steals...I got like 128 stamps for $17.99!!! I also double stamped the bird to make it look like she had a shadow and I think there's a name for that technique, but I don't know what it is!

One thing that I did a little different for the technique was that I used a PaperMate Eraser Mate pen in the Pen Tool for my Pazzles Inspiration Creative Cutter to "outline" the scalloped circle as well as the inner scallop, covered with gold embossing powder and heat set it. Those pens stay wet for a bit, thus they are great for heat embossing! That was all done at the same time that I was cutting out my front layer of my card. For my mask, I made one using a scalloped circle that I had made using my Pazzles Inspiration Studio software. I cut a scalloped circle and then used the negative also. I then used my markers to color the little flowers and then used gold stickles in the centers. I have to admit that I messed up the first two attempts at this, but hey....I did not give up!!! I feel pretty sure that I will use the technique again, probably many times!
Finished Card Size: A7/5"x7"
Supplies

Papers: GA Pacific White CS (card base), Neenah White CS and Bazzill
Stamps: "Spring Blossoms Clear Stamp Set" by Indadinkado
Inks: Tsukineko VersaMark "Watermark" and "Tuxedo Black" and Tim Holtz "Broken China" Distress Ink
Tools: Pazzles "Inspiration Creative Cutter", "Bow Easy", Provo Craft "Cuttlebug" and Ranger "Heat It"
Accessories: Fiskars "All A-Fleur" Embossing Border, Martha Stewart "Floral Lace Edge" Border Punch, Ranger "Queen's Gold" Embossing Powder, Offray Ribbon, "Golden Rod" Stickles, Copic & Neopiko markers, PaperMate "EraserMate" Med. Black Pen, 1/16" Perfect Layers, Spellbinders Nestabilities "Long Rectangles Small"