It's been awhile ... again

I seem to go in bits and spurts. I will go hard and create a bunch of stuff and then I have to tend to real life demands and catch up on everything I've ignored while creating, and stamping and scrapbooking takes a back seat. I keep thinking that I will commit to crafting a little bit each day, but the reality is that I have 3 small children, a husband, a household and a business to run and sometimes those take all my time and I can't get in there. Or, I'm just tired and don't feel like it. And that's OK. I am jealous of people who can stamp for an hour or two every day, but often their children are older and I don't want to wish my time away. It would be so nice to have time every day just for me, but I know that will come one day and I'll be wishing that I had my children in my lap instead. Or, at least sometimes I might.

So, the reality is that sometimes I'll be here blogging away and other times I won't. I hope that my readers understand. Many of them know me and know I'll always come back. I love playing with my stamps and my room will always draw me back and then I'll share here.

I invited my cousin over to scrapbook on Thursday and I felt more like playing, so I flipped through some old Technique Junkies newsletters (I LOVE those things) and found a cool technique to try. I really like when I find a technique which uses stuff I already own. I know that seems odd for someone who sells stamping supplies, but I also believe it's my duty to show people what they can do with supplies they already have. And, in the end, I often find that they order more of those supplies anyway. And if they don't, then that's fine! I always hear people say, "I need to use what I have." And I agree. There are monetary and space limitations; we can't simply have everything new. But that said, a new technique with existing product will always be cool.

So, a new technique. This one is so easy (really, I shouldn't need to write that since I don't do complicated ones). You will need a die cut machine (Cuttlebug, Big Shot, Wizard), embossing folders, Distress Inks, fun foam, spritz bottle with water and white matte cardstock. I often demonstrate techniques with Distress Inks and I'm asked if you can use other dye inks instead. The answer: in my opinion, not and get the same effect. You could probably make it work, but the Distress Inks are made to be work well with water and the colour won't break down like with other dye inks. I love my distress inks and except for a permanent black ink, they are the ones I reach for 90% of the time.

First step is to run your fun foam through your die machine in an embossing folder. You might have better luck to heat your fun foam a bit before doing this. You will not get as deep an impression as if you used paper (and since it's so thick, you may need to change your sandwich), but that's fine. Then choose two colours of Distress Inks. You are going to ink most of your fun foam with your lighter colour (just rub the pad directly around on the fun foam). Then go back and add a second colour in a few areas. Spritz with water and place your cardstock on, rubbing over it from the back. Peel it up and you have a very cool watercolour type stamped background. Put aside to dry or use your heat gun if you are impatient (ie: me). Then you can flip your fun foam over and do the same thing using the other side of the fun foam to get the negative version of the design.

I made quite a few of these the other day and just labeled the fun foam with the name of the embossing folder so I could use them later.

Today, I'm just going to show the background I made with the Seeing Spots folder. I really love the big dots of this folder; it's easily one of my favorites. And it looks very cool when you used the negative of it! For this sample, I used Victorian Velvet and Dusty Concord Distress Inks.

Here is the positive side.


Here is the negative side.


I'll be back over the next several days to show you the cards I've been making with this technique. I hope you enjoy it!!

You will get your fingers dirty doing this one. If that bothers you, you can wear gloves or you can try a Craft Scrubbie by Ranger which does a fantastic job taking the ink off of your fingers.

Butterfly Glimmer

I actually did some stamping yesterday. I have been so caught up in scrapbooking, that I haven't done very much stamping lately. I love playing with new techniques, but I get in a groove with scrapbooking and then I can't seem to switch. I will have an idea, but I'm almost scared to try it because I'm worried that it won't turn out and I'll be upset and depressed (not seriously depressed, but in a way that doesn't make me want to stamp; maybe more of a frustrated thing). I seem to have a mental block lately about how to finish off a card. OK, I have the main part done; now what do I do because it needs something, but I don't know what. And I'm generally a minimalist, so I struggle with just leaving it knowing I want to do something else.

Anyway, I find the first few cards I make are all right, but then I can generally get back into my groove.

I received my Technique Junkies Newsletter awhile ago and since I've been so busy, I just put it on my craft room desk so that I can look through it later when I have time to play. I love my TJ newsletters as they are always full of cool ideas and often use product I already have (huge bonus!).

The technique that caught my eye yesterday was "Salty Glimmers" and it was kind of a play on what we used to do years ago, but it's beautiful and so I was so excited to try it again. I love that some of the techniques we did years ago keep coming back in various variations.

With this technique, you need to spritz your white matte cardstock with water and then spritz with a glimmer mist. I wanted a blue and a brown (I'll show that one tomorrow), but didn't have the right colour in Tattered Angels or Smooch Sprays, so I created my own with Distress Inks, Perfect Pearls and a mini mister (I've mentioned how to do that before, but if you don't know how, just ask and I can explain it!). When the paper is wet and shiny, throw some sea salt chunks on it. I remember doing this with watercolour paper and water colours. In my memory, the salt chunks pulled the colour so that area was lighter, but in this case, they pulled the colour and made it pool around it and so you got dark areas. It was quite cool!

These do take awhile to dry as they suggested you air dry them (more about how to get around that tomorrow). So, I walked away and came back after the kids were in bed so that I could try to make something out of it.

I also wanted to play with my new Plaid embossing folder from Sizzix. I embossed a piece of Core'dinations paper and then sanded it to use as my background. I love it!!

When my glimmer piece was dry, I stamped my butterfly (Fontwerks) with Silver Staz-On, but it didn't show up well, so I overstamped it in Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink. The Staz-On will resist the Distress Ink, so it came out like a shadow which I thought was very cool.

Overall, I like this card well enough. It won't make it into my favorite pile, but for the first card back in awhile, it's fine.


The Plaid folder comes bundled with a Snowflake one. I already had a Snowflake folder from Provocraft, but I really wanted the Plaid one. I do quite like the Sizzix Snowflake one though as it has some bigger snowflakes, so I'm happy I got the set.
I did keep playing with this technique and will have more to share tomorrow.