Spring Microscope Slide Magnets for the Blockheads' Emboss Resist Technique Challenge!

Howzit Everyone!
It's Technique Challenge time again over at Blockheads Paper Arts!!  This one is called Emboss Resist and Colleen D (sniff...bye Colleen) created a wonderful tutorial for you all to check out!  So give the technique a whirl and then come and join us on the Blockheads Blog or on our Facebook page for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!

Here's my take on the Emboss Resist Technique to get your crafty brains buzzing ;0)

Spring inspired Microscope Slide Magnets 

- oh yes, Spring is here!

Blockheads exclusive stamps:  Flowers, Feeling Regal, Grunge It Up, Backgrounds for all Occasions and Household Notions collections

You will need the following supplies:

Memento Ink pads: Dandelion, Cantaloupe, New Sprout, Bamboo Leaves,  Rhubarb Red, Rich Cocoa, StazOn Ink Pads: Blazing Red and Jet Black, GlazOn(optional), Top Boss Clear Embossing ink pad or equivalent, Distress Inks:  Tea Dye and Black Soot, Clear Embossing Powder,  Glue stick, glossy or coated white cardstock, Heat It Embossing tool, Charm embellishments or Tim's Idea-ology Philosophy Tags and tiny jump rings, assorted fibers and ribbons, Bone Folder, Microscope Slides or Memory Glass, Inkssentials Memory Foil Tape - Copper (or brass), Skeleton Leaves, self adhesive magnets and Recollections Paper Tape (Michaels).

Stamp the Tulip and Poppy stamps onto glossy or coated cardstock with clear embossing ink and heat emboss with clear embossing powder.

Apply Memento inks with Tim's Ink Applictor tool and foam pads or whatever you prefer to use.  I started off with Dandelion then Cantaloupe, Rhubarb Red, New Sprout and Bamboo Leaves and just applied the colours in a random fashion and allowing them to overlap.  Gently wiping over the embossed areas with a clean paper towel to remove any ink.

 

Cut out the stamped panels the same size as a microscope slide.  Stamp the Flourish from the Feeling Regal set off to one side on the Tulip Panel with Memento Rich Cocoa.  Stamp the square Flourish design from the Grunge It Up set on the Poppy panel.  Gently wipe off the excess ink on the embossed areas with a clean paper towel.  Embellish both with skeleton leaf fragments.

  Stamp the French Script from the super versatile Backgrounds for all Occasions set, if you've been reading my tutorials for a while now you now how much I love this set ;0), onto the microscope slides with Blazing Red StazOn ink.  StaZon is a solvent based ink so it's perfect for glass and other non-porous surfaces like dominoes too!  The ink looks pink in my pics but it is red.  Depending on how much your slides will be handled you can apply a coat of GlazOn to the glass to protect the script.

I picked up these new paper tapes by Recollections at Michaels the other day.  I particularly liked the plain one that was in the 3 pack coz I can make my own tapes with whatever image I fancy.  Pity they don't have plain in the wider tapes too.  I've been in a Steampunk mood lately and couldn't resist stamping the smaller tape measure image from Blockheads Household Notions set with Jet Black StazOn ink onto the plain paper tape.  Cool hey!  Apply the tape measure strips to the bottom edge of both panels over the skeleton leaves which adheres them to the panels too.

Cut two mats from burgundy and light brown cardstocks.  Stamp the burgundy one with the Tulip border stamp in Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  Stamp the Poppy flower head multiple times in Rhubarb Red on the brown panel.  Distress them up a bit with a touch of Tea Dye and Black Soot Distress Inks.  Adhere the mats to the back of the flower panels with a small piece of double sided tape or a dab of glue just to hold it in place.  Lay the microscope slides on top and apply Inkssentials Memory copper foil tape around the edges and burnish with a bone folder.  I'm out of the brass foil tape so that's why I decided to go with copper ;0)

Wrap fibers and ribbon around each slide and attach a word charm to each with a tiny jump ring.

Add a self-adhesive magnet to the back and you're done!  You could sandwich your stamped collage panels between two microscope slides and add heavier embellishments if you want to but then I recommend using a much stronger magnet so your slides don't literally slide down the fridge.  Check out the super duper strong magnets in the Bottle Cap and Accessories section at Blockheads by Bottle Cap Inc!  Those magnets are sooo cool and almost beg to be part of the design :0)

The finished Spring slide magnets and below is a side view.

Thanks so much for checking out my project today and I hope I've inspired you to give the Emboss Resist technique a try!  Don't forget to enter the challenge on our Blockheads Blog and Facebook Page!  All the info about the challenge is below and you can also see all the wonderful entries that will hopefully be coming soon down there too so keep a look out for them ;0)

Now for some challenges for my Spring Slide Magnets!

Cooking It Up With Katie - Challenge #93 Make it a Green, Gorgeous Garden!

Crafting For All Seasons - Challenge #25 Anything but a Card

Crafts And Me Challenges - Challenge #81 Embossing

Inky Impressions Challenges - IIC56 Anything Goes
Just Keep On Creating - Challenge #1 Anything Goes - my 3rd entry here - spreading the word about this new challenge blog ;0)
Simon Says Stamp - Anything Goes Challenge
Stamp With Sarah Kay - Stampavie and More Challenge #166 Spring

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Tiny Steampunk Bird House for Mother's Day! - Lost Coast Designs

Howzit Everyone!
Do you need some inspiration for Mom's Day projects?  I created the cutest tiny bird house in the Steampunk style!  Check it out - even the little birdie has a monocle ;0)

 

I used the small bird from the Vintage Bird Illustrations set and the Happy Mother's Day sentiment which can be found on the Daisies set.  Both are Blockheads exclusives and the Measuring Tape border stamp by Lost Coast Designs is also available at Blockheads Paper Arts!

Vintage Bird Illustrations

Daisies

Measuring Tape Border Stamp - Lost Coast Designs

Supplies for the Tiny Steampunk Bird House 

Tiny wooden bird house
Tiny resin bird
Tim Holtz Idea-ology:  Sprocket Gears and Game Spinners
Ranger Inkssentials Silver Memory Foil Tape
Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Collection 12 x 12 paper
Distress Stains:  Tea Dye, Stormy Sky
Distress Inks:  Tea Dye, Black Soot
Black Acrylic Paint
Memento Ink Pads:  Tuxedo Black, Rhubarb Red, London Fog, Rich Cocoa
Adirondack Alcohol Inks:  Ginger, Stream, Espresso, Caramel
Alcohol Ink Blending Solution 
Alcohol Ink Applicator Tool
Stamp positioner tool
Judikins Diamond Glaze
Chipboard tag - Michaels
Silver Jump Rings and fine silver wire
Black Sharpie Marker
Copper marbalized die
Embellishments:  Assorted watch parts and a metal flower with a topaz jewel center
White cardstock and a scrap of grungy blue/green paper
Craft glue
Black square pop dots
Low tack tape
and don't forget the stamps available from Blockheads Paper Arts! 

 
 Before I tell you all about the bird house I want to continue on from where my last project left off.  I gave you a sneak peek at the basket weave background I stamped up just with Lost Coast Designs' Measuring Tape border stamp.  Blockheads is doing a featuring in their upcoming newsletter on 'Creating with Border Stamps' so keep a look out for it!  So lets get started with how I created this really cool weave pattern.

Draw a faint grid in pencil with the spaces just slightly larger than the actual border stamp which you can then erase when you're done.  You can also eyeball the spacing if you prefer.

Tape off alternating horizontal spaces and stamp the border in Memento Tuxedo Black ink vertically.  Remove the tape and turn the cardstock anti-clockwise - just make one turn!  Mask the black border just stamped and stamp the next border in Memento London Fog.  Remove the tape and turn the cardstock anti-clockwise again.  Mask off the grey border and stamp with Rhubarb Red.  Turn the cardstock again and mask off the red border and stamp with Rich Cocoa.

It's that easy!  You can't go wrong if you just remember to mask alternate stripes, stamp, turn and mask off what you just stamped!  But if you do make a mistake, don't throw it away coz you can just make another kind of border pattern background with it!

Now for my super cute Steampunk bird house!  I found this really tiny wooden bird house at either Michaels or Target in the $1 section.  It's only about 2" tall and 3" at the widest part.  Apply Stormy Sky Distress Stain with a paint brush to the front, sides and back of the house.  Appy Tea Dye Distress Stain to the top of the base and to the underside of the roof.  Paint the house hole and the perch with black acrylic paint.  Cut two sections out of the Measuring Tape border cardstock to fit the top of the house roof.  Apply Tea Dye Distress ink to the panels with a foam ink applicator tool.  Adhere the Measuring Tape panels to the roof with craft glue.

Adhere Inkssenstials silver foil tape around all the edges of the roof and the base of the bird house.
Burnish the foil tape with a bone folder or your finger nail and apply Alcohol Inks to the tape with a felt applicator tool.  I applied Ginger, Caramel, Espresso and Stream all onto the same felt piece and added a dash of Blending Solution to dilute the inks and just randomly dabbed it carefully onto the tape.

Make a template of the back of the house on a piece of scrap paper and cut out the Steampunk girl from the Graphic 45 Steampunk Debutante Collection 12 x 12 sheet.  Adhere it to the back of the house with glue.  Embellish with an assortment of real watch parts and adhere in place with Judikins Diamond Glaze.

Adhere a copper cog to the hole and embellish the roof point with an antique brass cog and a game spinner from the Tim Holtz Idea-ology range.  Also embellish the front of the house with some more real watch parts too.   To make the monocle - Attach a piece of very fine silver wire to a silver jump ring and adhere it over the eye of the bird with Diamond Glaze.  Loop the wire and adhere it to the breast of the bird then adhere the bird to the house.  I used Judikins Diamond Glaze to adhere all the embelllishments!  Cut a piece of grungy blue/green paper the same size as a decorative chipboard tag I found in Michaels, now $1.50 bins...it came in a bag with a bunch of other shapes.   Stamp the Happy Mother's Day sentiment onto the paper tag with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  I used a stamp positioner to break up the sentiment so it would fit the tag.  Stamp the Blockheads' bird with Memento Rich Cocoa, colour the eye with a black Sharpie marker and adhere another silver jump ring over the eye so the birdie also has a steampunk flair ;0)  Embellish the tag with more watch parts and a metal flower with a topaz jewel center.  Everything was adhered with Diamond Glaze.  Adhere the tag to the roof of the house with a touch of white glue along the back bottom edge and prop it up with two small square pop dots.  Finish off by adhering the bird house to a copper marbleized die and you're done!

Isn't it the cutest thing ever, I totally love it and hope you do too ;0)

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you enjoy my project tutorials and will become a follower of my Creative Adventures :0)

Now for some challenges....

•  Anything Goes Challenge - #65 Tick Tock Goes The Clock-Time or Steampunk
• Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
• Just Keep on Creating - #1 Anything Goes  
• Creative Inspirations Paint - Inspired by Tags Challenge - I don't have any CI paint and sure would love to win some ;0)
• Let's Ink It Up - Challenge #22 - Distressing
• Craft Your Days Away - Challenge #43 - Metal

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

"Measure" Steampunk card featuring Lost Coast Designs - A Blockheads DT project!

Steampunk is definitely one of my favourite stamping themes and I had a blast getting my Steampunk action on with this card ;0)  Here's another project for Blockheads' upcoming newsletter feature on creating with Border Stamps featuring Borders by Lost Coast Designs!

Last Friday I shared a project that featured a loose stamped weave pattern created with just the border stamps themselves instead of weaving paper strips and now I'm going to show you how to do a tight basket weave pattern too.  I've  been playing around and created a few basket weave backgrounds.  Here's a sneak peak at a weave (left) that I'll be using in my next project created with just the Measuring Tape border and also a peek at the sewing themed background I created from a weave that went wrong...so don't throw away your 'mistakes' coz you can still make fun backgrounds with them ;0)

On this project I used the following Lost Coast Designs rubber stamps
Steampunk Typewriter Girl, Measuring Tape border, Bingo border and Numbers border.

"Measure"

(from left - photo 1) Draw faint grid lines in pencil or eye ball the placement of the borders based on the size of the stamps on a sheet of Neenah Solar White cardstock.  Mask off alternating horizontal stripes with low tack tape and stamp the Numbers border with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.  Remember to leave a gap between each vertical stamped stripe.  (photo 2) Mask off the horizontal stripes that now have partial stamped numbers and stamp the Numbers border again filling in the gaps left in the first step.  You can see the weave pattern is already starting to form.  (left - photo 3)  Repeat the same steps but this time mask off the vertical stripes and stamp the Measuring Tape border.  (photo 4) Alternate the masking and fill in all the blank spaces by weaving in the Bingo border.  In retrospect I think the circles kind of mess up the illusion of the weave and I much prefer the weave pattern I created with just the Measuring Tape border.  It probably would have been more effective if I'd left a wider stripe for the Bingo border but I still like it though and ran with it.

Colour the weave pattern with Marvy Le Plume Permanent markers (or Copics) with a monochromatic colour scheme.  I used 3 Marvy Le Plume Permanents cool greys (CG892, 894, 895) and 3 warm greys (AG871, 873, 875) to colour the borders and N910 black to colour the background spaces between the borders and to further enhance the illusion of the weave.  Die cut out the design with a Spellbinders Labels 2 die and emboss with the Spellbinders Tan Embossing Mat.  Colour the debossed edges with the black marker.

Stamp the Steampunk Typewriter Girl with Tuxedo Black Memento ink on Neenah Solar White cardstock and colour with the same monochromatic grey scheme.  I used the AG markers on the background and the CG markers on the Typewriter and also added touches of metallic silver paint pen to the screws in the image.  Distress the edges with Tim's Distress Tool and apply Pumice Stone Distress Ink with an Ink Applicator Foam tool.  Layer onto a piece of black cardstock cut slightly larger.  Cut a mat slightly larger still from a light greyish brown cardstock and distress the edges and add the Pumice Stone Distress Ink.  Adhere the layers together with permanent adhesive tape and then punch small holes in the corners and attach antique brass Philips screw eyelets...that's the screw heads with the cross just in case you didn't know that ;0)

Die cut out a larger Spellbinders Label 2 die from a piece of the greyish-brown cardstock and emboss with the Tim Holtz Alterations Texture Fade Clocks embossing folder.  Apply Pumice Stone Distress Ink directly to the embossed design, then highlight areas with Silver Brilliance Ink, then edge the die cut with Black Soot Distress Ink.

Cut a rectangle panel from a sheet of tan cardstock and emboss it with the Cuttlebug 5 x 7 Clockworks embossing folder.  Distress the edges with the Distress Tool and apply Pumice Stone Distress Ink to the embossed design and the edges with the direct to paper method.  Punch small holes in the corners and attach silver Flat head screw brads.  Make a folded card from black cardstock and adhere all the elements together with double sided tape and then adhere the Steampunk Typewriter Girl panel in place with pop dots for dimension.

Attach a Bead Landing Found Objects Scrabble tile charm (Michaels) to a Tim Holtz Idea-ology charm clip, mix and matching the antique brass and silver metals of the screw heads.

Closer look at the screw embellishments.  FYI Tim now has a range of mini screw head brads in his Idea-ology collection!

Thanks for visiting with me today!  For more Stamping with Borders inspiration also check out what my design team mate, Karen, has created with one of my ultra favourite themes - Alice in Wonderland.

Here's one of my Alice In Wonderland projects for you to check out too if you're also an Alice Addict ;0)

Just a quickie reminder that there's only a few days left to join the Blockhead's Magic Metals Technique Challenge - get all the info here.  There's prizes up for grabs for Blog Hop entries and Blockheads' Facebook entries so come join the fun!

I've entered this card in the following challenges:

• Anything Goes Challenge - #65 Tick Tock Goes The Clock-Time or Steampunk 
• Just Keep on Creating - #1 Anything Goes
• Simon Says Stamp and Show - Anything Goes
• Stamptacular Sunday - Must use a stamp - Freebie Week - Anything Goes
• Everybody Art Challenge - #189 Cards for Men
• Use It Tuesday - #29 Anything Goes but must use hoarded stash (I've had the screw eyelets and brads in my stash for years and have hoarded them coz they're sooooo cute and were hard to come by at the time, LOL) 
• 7 Kids College Fund - Challenge #45 Die Cuts or Punches (Spellbinders Labels Two)
• Craft Your Passion Challenge # 106 - Die Cuts or Punches (Spellbinders Labels Two)
• Lexis Creations - Challenge #63 Use your punches and dies
• MyGrafico Crafts - Challenge #125 - Fun And Games - Hope my use of the Bingo Border qualifies!?
• Dream Valley Challenges #30 Earth Tones

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

I'm a Winner at Smudgy Antics, Woohoo!

Hello Everyone!

Today is a sad day because its the 3rd anniversary of when we scattered my precious Daddy's ashes and I was in need of a little cheer me up and I just found out I won the $5 gift voucher to spend at Smeared Ink...Woohoo, dance of joy :0)

I entered my "Codex Atlanticus" fantasy card in Smudgy Antics Anything Goes Challenge!  Thanks Smudgy Antics for making my day :0)

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

"A View From A Window" Fantasy Art Card featuring Lost Coast Designs Border Stamps!

Happy Friday 13th!

 Not quite the view from a window you were expecting to see is it ;0)  It's raining buckets outside today so I changed my plans and decided to stay indoors to continue with my Atlantian fantasy story....

LSBD Log:  Day 42 - We are still finding so many wonderful treasures down here but today I discovered the best treasure of all!  I found a chamber with a phenomenal view overlooking the sunken city of Atlantis...

The Blockheads Design Team is playing with ideas for using border stamps and I've been having a ball with the borders by Lost Coast Designs!   My first project 'Portal To Atlantis' features the Iris Fold technique, my second project 'Codex Atlanticus' demonstrates using the border strips to make a basket weave and a border background collage and my third...wait for it...using the border stamps themselves to create a basket weave.  Alas, due to some time constraints I didn't get my 'tight basket weave' project completed in time for today but I was able to get this one with a loose weave design ready instead!

I used the following Lost Coast Designs border stamps on my fantasy art card:
Tear Drops (top right), Spiral (bottom left) and Wave (bottom right) to create the loose weave... looks like the ruins of the city of Atlantis don't you think!  Blockheads' Fish image from the Seascape - Fishes set and Inky sentiment from my favourite full sheet of Verses completed my card!

Spritz Stream Color Wash, Danube Blue Fireworks spray to add some shimmer, a few dabs of Stormy Sky Distress Stain and a spritz of water onto a craft sheet.

Smoosh a sheet of white cardstock onto the ink to create a wonderfully random watery seascape.

Create the loose weave pattern by blocking off the areas you don't want to stamp with tape and masking off the ends of the stamp with torn post-it notes for a broken effect.  Tip:  cut the tape to the size of the border stamp that will fill in the gap.  Stamp all the borders with Tuxedo Black Memento ink.

Build up a loose random weave - I deliberately didn't want the spacing to be even!

Highlight the mottled effect of the watery background with a metallic blue pen to create a marbled design.

Stamp the fish image first with Paris Dusk Memento ink and immediately stamp it again without re-inking to get the faint image.  Then stamp the image again in Tuxedo Black.

Cut the panel to size and distress the edges with Tim's Distress tool.  Apply Weathered Wood Distress Ink to the roughened edges with a foam Ink Applicator tool.  Cut a mat from black cardstock and distress the edges with the Distress tool.  Apply Peacock Brilliance tri-colour ink directly to the rough edges for a bit of shimmer.  Cut a mat from a sheet of Stream cardstock from Tim's Adirondack Core-dinations Assorted Paper Pack.  It matches perfectly with the Stream Color Wash!  Pssst...it's currently on sale at Blockheads!!!! ;0)  Rough up the Stream cardstock with sandpaper and then distress the edges with the Distress tool to reveal the aqua coloured core.  Layer and adhere everything together with double sided tape.

Apply clear Star Dust Stickles glitter glue to the black fish for a bit of sparkle.

I also decorated the inside of the card!  Cut a sheet of cardstock to make the inside panel and smoosh it onto the left over ink on the craft sheet along the bottom edge.  Stamp the perfect sentiment "If All The World Were Paper...and all the sea were ink" with a combination of Tuxedo Black and Paris Dusk Memento ink.  Distress the edges in the same way and layer it on a distressed Stream mat and adhere to the inside of the card with double sided tape.

Embellish the corners of the card with self adhesive pearls in 3 different sizes and you're done!  I absolutely LOVE how this one turned out :0)

Ooooo we're having a spectacular thunderstorm right now, I'm off to watch....bye!!

I came back after the t-storm to add some challenges for my card :0)
The Stamping Boutique - #33 Distress
Paper Take Weekly - April Showers or Water Water Everywhere
Make It Monday - Anything Goes #84
Smudgy Antics - Anything Goes

Anything Goes Challenge Blog - Anything Goes #64

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents