Welcome to Velvet Paw Creations - Design Team Projects by Leigh Snaith-Brunton - The Sharpie Domino Queen & owner of LeighSBDesigns Art Stamps!

Friday, May 25, 2012

"Happy Birthday Dad" ...using my handmade embossed TP paper!

Hello Everyone!

I'm super excited to share my first project using the handmade embossed paper that I made with...wait for it...TOILET PAPER and an embossing folder!  How cool is that!


If you missed my last post about the June technique challenge I'm hosting over at Blockheads Paper Arts then check it out here and then continue reading to see how I made this super cool card!


Step 1 is to make the embossed paper just with toilet paper, water and an embossing folder - read my full tutorial on how to do that here.

And now for my masculine Birthday themed card...
 

Once you've made your embossed TP paper try colouring it with Distress Inks using the DTP technique, or in this case the DTTP method, LOL.  I used Pumice Stone, Tea Dye and Black Soot Distress Ink pads.


I found it's best to dab the ink pad directly onto the embossed surface instead of doing a lot dragging or swiping of the ink pad to avoid making the toilet paper bitty.


Spritz the TP paper with water in a mini Mister to make the inks blend and create an array of new colours.  While the TP is still wet tear away the bottom portion.  Put it aside to dry.


Weird how that pink showed up after spritzing the Distress Inks!


Pink just won't do for my masculine card so I applied more Distress inks to cover most of it.


When I made the long embossed sheet I also did a smaller one because I wanted to cut the upper case 'D' and 'A' out of it and also salvaged the lower case 'd' from the long sheet.


Apply Adirondack Gold Mixative Alcohol Ink, or gold acrylic paint, to the embossed areas with a Q-Tip or brush.  Ink up the vertical 'Happy Birthday' sentiment from Blockheads' Verses full sheet with a combination of Tea Dye and Black Soot Distress Inks and stamp it onto a piece of textured white cardstock and cut out.


Distress the edges of the panel with Tim's Distress Tool.  Apply gold Mixative Alcohol Ink to the distressed edges with a Q-Tip.  Cut a mat from brown cardstock and do the same to the edges.  Adhere the sentiment to the mat with permanent adhesive tape.  Cut another panel the same length as the sentiment mat from the brown cardstock and treat the edges the same way.  Also cut mats for each letter and distress and colour those edges too.  Adhere the TP letters to the mats with white craft glue.

TIP:  With all the cutting and tearing you might notice that the TP is starting to peel in places.  I just added a few dabs of white craft glue to repair those areas and that did the trick. 


Adhere the brown panel behind the main TP layer on the right hand side with craft glue and wrap a piece of raffia around the panels and tie with a knot on the right hand side.  Adhere the sentiment panel on the left hand side over the raffia and the letters to the card front too.  Then adhere everything to a top fold card made from black cardstock (I applied gold Mixative ink to distress the edges of the black card first).  Punch two holes in the sentiment panel and attach mini brass brads.


Embellish the raffia 'bow' with a brass pocket watch charm.


Punch a small hole in the top right corner and attach a small brass brad.


How about that for a unique birthday card?  It's up to you if you want to reveal that the main feature is made out of toilet paper, LOL, but I'd love to see their faces if you do ;0)

I hope I've inspired you to give this technique a try and look forward to seeing your entries in the Blog Hop Technique Challenge on the Blockheads' Blog.   You've got the chance to win a $25 gift certificate in the Blog Hop and if you don't have a blog you can also enter via our Facebook Group instead for a chance to win your choice of a 4" x 5" set of Blockheads' stamps cut on cling cushion!  So what do you say, want to play with us?!

I've entered my card in some fun challenges:
Stamping with Dragon - Birthdays And Boys (Two for One)
ATCs With Attitude - ATC & Cards Anything Goes Challenge #14 
Chocolate, Coffee and Cards Challenge #13 For the Boys
Fairy Tale Challenge #41 Boys and Men
Fat Pages with Attitude Challenge #14 - Anything Goes

Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Take the Hand Made Embossed Toilet Paper Technique Challenge at Blockheads Paper Arts!

Happy Friday Bloggers!
I'm sure you're all looking forward to your holiday weekend with lots of relaxing planned but if you've got some spare crafty time how about playing around with Blockheads Paper Arts new Technique Challenge?

Turn this

 into this

 with my technique called
**HAND MADE EMBOSSED PAPER 
using EMBOSSING FOLDERS and TOILET PAPER**

I'm hosting the June challenge and I had a blast experimenting and creating and I'm sure you will too!  Check out my tutorial on Blockheads' Rubber Stamping Techniques page.

Play around and have loads of fun and then share your creations by entering the Blog Hop Technique Challenge on Blockheads' Blog for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate, there's a code you need to add to your blog for your entry to count but its super easy to do and all the info is located on the techniques page, and if you don't have a blog you can also enter via our Facebook Group instead for a chance to win your choice of a 4" x 5" set of Blockheads' stamps cut on cling cushion!  Awesome right!  So what do you say, want to play with us?!

You don't have to use Blockheads stamps to enter but of course we'd love it if you did and you don't even have to own an embossing/die cutting machine either if you've got a friend who will let you borrow an embossing folder, or better yet, persuade her to take the challenge too and make a day of it ;0)  The challenge closes on June 21st so you've got tons of time to play!

I can't wait to share my first project I created using the embossed alphabet paper I made, it's soooo cool so stay tuned for that ;0)
...and now you can see it here!
Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Emboss Resist Dragon Pendant made Top 3 at the Craft Room!

Happy Friday Everyone!
Woohoo!!  My Emboss Resist Dragon Pendant made Top 3 in the Emboss It Craft Room Challenge!
Click on the photo of my project if you missed seeing it!



Thanks for the great challenge :0)
Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Friday, May 11, 2012

'Happy Mom's Day' My card for my Mom...so no peeking Mom ;0)

Happy Friday Everyone!
I would like to wish all my Mom readers a Happy Mom's Day weekend!  I hope you all get spoilt rotten on Sunday ;0)

I finally entered the electronic cutting age this year and got a Silhouette Cameo for my birthday, Woohoo!!  The very first cutting project I did was my Mom's Day card for my Mom.  She lives in the UK so I didn't get to go as elaborate with embellishments and dimension as I would have liked to. Here's some pics of the final result.

 My Mom is super special, besides being the best Mom ever, she also gets to celebrate Mom's Day TWICE a year!  In the UK they celebrate Mother's Day in March so my sister spoils my Mom then and I get to spoil her in May ;0) 


The design I used is available in the Silhouette Cameo library in a square format.  I altered the size in the Silhouette design software and cut out the window flower frame with the sentiment included from textured burgundy cardstock and then re-cut just the flowers in textured yellow cardstock.  Back the window cut out with peach cardstock and put yellow cardstock behind the sentiment.  Add details with a clear glitter gel pen to the leaves and stems and yellow and peach glitter glue to the flowers and around the inside edge of the window cut out.  Curl the petals of the yellow flowers and adhere them to the card front with craft glue and embellish all the flowers and leaves with self-adhesive pearls.  Embellish all the corners of the card with a Magic Transparent White Pearl Pen.


 Die cut out a Spellbinders Fancy Tag 2 from peach cardstock and stamp the sentiment from the Daisies set available at Blockheads Paper Arts with Memento Tuxedo Black ink.  Adhere the tag to the inside of the card with permanent adhesive tape and embellish with more glittery flowers and glitter glue.  The tag was a little bit bigger than the card so I got creative and hooked the right hand side over the edge so it peeks out when the card is closed.  I finished off with variegated fluffy fiber wrapped around the card fold.


I'm pleased with how my very first attempt using my new fancy dancy cutting machine turned out and hope my Mommy loves it too!   Hopefully it has arrived intact so we shall see when she opens it on Sunday morning ;0)

Now for some challenges for my card....
 Penny's Challenges - #79 I Love You Mom
Scrapalicious USA - Mother I Love You challenge
Simply Create Too Challenge #13 Mother's Day or Feminine
 Raise the Bar Challenge #104 - Mother's Day Cards
4 Crafty Chicks Challenge #89 - Sentiments Only
 Joyful Stamper - Inspire Me Fridays #58 - Anything Goes
Fat Pages with Attitude Challenge #13 - Anything Goes/Butterflies and Blooms
The Paper Shelter Challenge #63 - Anything Goes

Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Thursday, May 10, 2012

"Nostalgic Father's Day" another grungy card ;0)

Howzit Blog Friends!


I'm back again with another grungy guy card today!  Yes, I'm giving you all a good jump on Father's Day card ideas, but I haven't forgotten that it is Mom's Day this Sunday and I'm going to share the card I made my Mommsie tomorrow...so no peeking Mom ;0)

So why all the grungy card ideas...well Blockheads Paper Arts is going to be featuring their Grunge It Up stamp set in an upcoming newsletter and we've been coming up with lots of grungy goodness to inspire you.

Now for a quick recap...here's a look at a group shot of all the grungy backgrounds I've made.  Click on the pic to go to the tutorial for the blue backgrounds and each card for those tutorials.

Here's the first 2 cards I made using those backgrounds.

Now for my 3rd grungy card...
 To create that awesome grungy background cardstock I used the following Blockheads exclusive stamp sets:  Grunge It Up, Victorian Inventions and Vintage Railway.

List of supplies used:
  Distress Inks:  Weathered Wood, Fired Brick and Tea Dye, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash cardstock - Retro Grunge, white and black cardstock, Tim's Idea-ology Nostalgic Paper Tape, Tim's Foam Ink Applicator tool, white cardstock, mustard coloured brads, Black Pearl embellies, Greek Key Fiskars border punch, permanent adhesive tape, pop dots, small hole punch and a Happy Father's Day tag from CardMaker.


Apply Tea Dye Distress Ink all over a sheet of white cardstock.  Stamp the collage-like grunge image multiple times to fill the sheet in Tea Dye ink.  Also using the Tea Dye ink stamp the large twirly flourish grunge image and the All Aboard sentiment from the Vintage Railway set.


Randomly stamp the gears and clock images from the Victorian Invention set in Weathered Wood D ink.  For more of a faded effect first press the freshly inked stamp on a scrap piece of paper to remove some ink and then stamp on the background cardstock.


Do the same faded effect and stamp the large grunge corner image and the vintage train in Fired Brick Distress ink.  Cut the two top corners off to mirror the corners on the 'Happy Father's Day' tag and apply Tea Dye Distress ink to the edges of the cardstock to age and darken the background panel.


Cut a mat from Tim's Retro Grunge cardstock just slightly larger than the grunge collage panel and make a folded card from black cardstock slightly larger still.  Punch the Greek Key border along the bottom edge of the card.


Adhere the grunge collage panel to the Retro Grunge cardstock and then to the black card with permanent adhesive tape.  Add a strip of Tim's Nostalgic Paper Tape along the bottom edge just above the Greek Key border.  Apply Weathered Wood Distress Ink to the edges of the 'Happy Father's Day' tag and adhere it to the card with a dab of adhesive tape.  Punch two tiny holes on the top edge and attach two mustard coloured brads.


Add three self adhesive black pearls on the bottom left corner and one on each of the top corners and three smaller pearls on the tag too.


Finish off the card by adding a strip of the paper tape to the inside of the card along the bottom edge so it can be seen through the punched border when the card is closed.


I really have had loads of fun creating with the Grunge It Up stamps and I hope you've enjoyed checking them out too!  Here's some more links to a few of my other projects that also feature the Grunge It Up set.   It truly is versatile and fun to have in your collection!

 Is It Spring Yet?
Steampunk Self-Portraits
Grungy Daisies Card
Carnival Bizarre
'Imagine' Steampunk Card
Spring Microscope Slide Magnets

Now for some fun challenges for my card...
I based my card layout on this sketch challenge over at  Krista-Kris Challenges - Sketch Challenge #119
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches + something at least 6mths old, my black pearls fit requirement ;0)

Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A Grungy "Pocket Watch" Tag Card!

Hi Everyone!

 
Last week I showed you how to create three Grungy Backgrounds using the Grunge It Up stamp set exclusive to Blockheads Paper Arts and also shared a Father's Day card I made using 2 of those backgrounds.  Today I'm back with another project using the top grungy background in the pic below and images from the Victorian Inventions set too.


Grungy Father's Day Card using the middle and bottom backgrounds in the pic above.  Click on the photos to see the full tutorials.


Blockheads exclusive stamps:  Grunge It Up and Victorian Inventions

List of supplies used:
Weathered Wood Distress Ink, Rhubarb Stalk Memento Ink pad, Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash cardstock - Retro Grunge, Tim's Foam Ink Applicator tool, white cardstock, Penny Farthing charm, Tim's Idea-ology Charm Clip, Tim's Idea-ology Hole Reinforcers, Spellbinders Labels 21 dies and Tan Embossing Mat, Cuttlebug Script Embossing Folder, tiny antique gold brads, permanent adhesive tape, craft glue, pop dots, tiny and standard hole punches, wooden bead dangles, assorted fibers and ribbons.


 See the Grungy Backgrounds post for my tutorial on how to create Grunge Background #1 - Gears then cut the background into strips.  Stamp the grunge image (top left on the stamp sheet) with Weathered Wood Distress ink on each strip, but before stamping onto the strips first remove some of the ink by stamping first on a scrap piece of paper and then onto the strips for a faded effect.  Run the strips through a Xyron to add adhesive.  Adhere the strips to a sheet of Tim's Retro Grunge cardstock, I chose the one that has the redwood pattern on one side and radiating stripes on the other.


Die cut out the main panel for the tag with the largest Spellbinders Labels 21 die and emboss it with the Spellbinders tan mat.


Emboss a sheet of textured white cardstock with the Cuttlebug Script embossing folder and die cut out a panel from a smaller Labels 21 die then emboss with the tan mat.  Use the metal die as a stencil and apply Weathered Wood Distress Ink to the embossed designed and around the edges to create a frame.  Apply Rhubarb Stalk Memento ink to the edges of the die cut.  Trace the outline of the same metal die onto a piece of Tim's Retro Grunge cardstock with a pencil and cut out a mat for the panel with scissors.

 
Die cut out a panel from the second to smallest Labels 21 die from textured white cardstock and emboss with the tan mat.  Use the metal die as a stencil and apply Weathered Wood Distress Ink around the edges to create a frame.  Keep the die in place and stamp the same Grunge image used on the large panel onto the small panel with Weathered Wood.  Stamp it twice vertically to fill the panel and also press the inked stamp onto scrap paper to remove some ink before stamping it onto the panel for that grungy faded look.  Stamp the clock image onto the panel with Rhubarb Stalk Memento ink and apply the same ink to the edges of the die cut.  Trace the outline of the same metal die onto a piece of Tim's Retro Grunge cardstock with a pencil and cut out a mat with scissors.


Punch a tiny hole at the top of the clock image and attach a length of antique gold chain to the panel with a tiny antique gold brad so that it now looks like a pocket watch.  Mount the clock panel to the mat with pop dots.  Then adhere them to the embossed script panel with glue.  Mount the script panel to its mat with pop dots and then adhere everything to the large panel with glue.  Punch a tiny hole into the large panel and attach the other end of the chain to it with a tiny brad.  Hang a ball charm on the end. 


Attach assorted wooden bead dangles and a penny farthing charm to one of Tim's Idea-ology charm clips and attach the charm clip to the clock panel.

***All the jewelry findings, beads, charms and chain are way over 6mths old...for the Oldie But A Goodie Challenge ;0)


Punch a hole at the top of the large panel and add one of Tim's Idea-ology hole Reinforcers to the hole.  Add red suede cord, gold-brown and black ribbons.  Also adhere a strip of the red suede cord to the bottom edge of the tag, you can see that in the pic showing the charm above.


Make a small folded card from a piece of Tim's Retro Grunge cardstock to fit the back of the tag.  Cut the bottom edge of the back flap at a slight angle so that the tag card leans slightly backwards like an easel and you're done.


So what do you think?  I really like how it turned out and I think it would make the perfect guy tag card for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, Father's Day and many other occasions I'm sure :0)

Now how about some challenges!
Crafts and Me Challenges - #83 Punches and Die Cuts
Divas by Design - Challenge #34 One for the Boys
Creative Craft Challenges - Anything Goes
Ladybug Crafts Ink Challenge #60 - Anything But Square
Oldie But A Goodie Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches + use something that is at least 6mths old

Thanks for visiting with me!  Don't forget to keep an eye on the inlinkz section below where you will start to see a collection of Grunge projects by my fellow Blockheads team mates.

Ciao for now and Happy Stamping!
 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents