K is for Kraft

We are ready for the next challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers!  Edna is making us use KRAFT paper in our projects.  

Edna didn't know that I had never made a kraft card before. I've used kraft paper in scrapbooking projects, but have never tried to scale it down for a card. I googled some images on the google machine and found some very lovely examples. I also decided that I liked red with my kraft. At the time I was also wearing a brown shirt with red flowers, but this may have been coincidence.   

Here is my card.  I was digging through my stamps and found the sentiment first, then I ran across the image and thought, perfect!  While I was putting this card together, I realized that one of our snarky challenge players had made a card with this sentiment for one of our challenges. I hope you don't mind that I copied you subconsciously! 

Please visit our challenge blog and take a peek at what my sisters have put together for this challenge.   If you like Christmas, this is the perfect time to stop by.

Details about my card: image and sentiment inked with Staz-On Timber Brown, colored with Distress  Marker Red Brick and white charcoal pencil.  

Wood ATC and a Gelli Plate

Artist trading cards are always fun to make.  I find that working in a small size is challenging.  The hardest part for me is covering up my background.  Backgrounds can stand on their own.  When you select the right elements, that's when the magic happens.

Here is my finished project, four ATCs lined up.

The first thing you're going to notice is that the heads don't match.  I only had three kids heads. I chose the illustrated head to go on the fourth card.  Don't worry, I have added "the heads of children" to my next shopping list.

What I want you to know about this set of ATCs is that they are made on wood from Unique Laser Designs.  And they were so easy to make!

First, gesso your wood.  Gesso is your friend.  It primes your surface and makes your paint appear more vivid.   Then apply your base color to the ATC.  I used a bright green.

While the gesso was drying, I used my die cut machine to cut several pieces out of old greeting cards.  Thick glossy cards make excellent reusable templates for several projects.  Just don't tell that relative that sends these cards how you use their store bought mementos.  (If you don't make your own cards, support your local crafty person!)  And if either of these options are not available in your home, file folders are the next best thing.

I decided to used my Gelli plate to make the background of this ATC set.  I then used my die cutter to make a template to use on the Gelli plate.

For the next layer of paint, I had chose orange.  I applied it to my Gelli Plate and set down my ATCs.  When I pulled the ATCs up, I saw orange.  Too much orange.  I spritzed the ATCs with water and then wiped the centers clean of the orange, just leaving a bit of orange around the edges.

I opted for pink instead.  After seeing how the paint transferred to the ATC, I also decided to use the "ghost image" on the ATC.  I put the pink paint on the Gelli Plate, put on the die cuts, then peeled them back off.  Then I placed the wooden ATCs onto the Gelli Plate.  The result was a finer, less blobby transfer print.  

This is how the ATCs looked after the Gelli treatment:

I was thrilled with the result and wanted to keep them the way they were.  I convinced myself to go on with my project.  Using black ink, I grunged them up a wee bit and inked the edges of the cards.  

After searching through my stash, I found colorful rub-ons.  I applied these to the four cards.  

I finished the ATCs off with the collage heads, flowers and the ULD word blocks.  Here are the individual ATCs.

Brave

Dream

Hope

Joy

Unique Laser Designs products used:

ATC set

Brick Wall Stencil

The words blocks are the bricks from the stencil!

As always, thanks for stopping by.  Your visits are always appreciated!

Fairies and Flowers

Fairies and flowers are made for each other.  Beautiful flower gardens are made to attract fairies, attendance by birds, bees, and butterflies are just a happy side effect.

I put together this mini album with the idea of using this cute fairy from Unique Laser Designs.  I think she is so sweet!

Again I have paired this embellishments with a Graphic 45 collection.   I usually refer to G45 as "the big guns."  Does anyone else feel this way?  This time I used Secret Garden.  I thought the fairy would be perfect with that collection and I had enough supply to build a mini album.

I started my fairy just like one of my Unique Laser Designs design team members had.  (We are like crafty twins separated at birth! And her name is Lea.  Lee and Lea!  See her fairy here.)

I applied gesso to the fairy's wings and dress, but not on her "skin" as I wanted to leave the warmth of the wood to come through the paint.  I then painted the fairy with Lindy's Magicals.  I love these paints!

The other laser cuts I used are "Border Swirl D," which come in a pair.  These were painted with Distress Ink, then topped with Glossy Accents.  I would have added more chipboard, but I had to be able to close the album.

Now let's see if you can watch the whole album!

Thanks for stopping by!

Unique Laser Designs: Couture Hanging Tag

I have been a terrible blogging crafter, as I haven't done either for two weeks.  I am even late posting this, my debut project for Unique Laser Designs.  Please, don't fire me, Shilo!

This project was made for a dress form swap at Scraps of Darkness.  I love making items to swap with fellow crafters from all over the world.  I knew I wouldn't have much time once August began, and I doubled up on projects.

Here is the hanging tag:

I have used the Graphic 45 "Couture" collection for the image and the quote inside of the frame.  The dress form is Prima Marketing resin.  The feathers are probably chicken.

Close-ups:  

For further information, please see my post at:

Or if you have any questions, please ask in the comments section or email me ( veryvibrantviolette at gmail dot com) and I will try to answer coherently.  Thanks for stopping by!

Z is for Zoo

My blog looks like I haven't been very busy.  I swear that I have been busy though!  I had meant to write this post and schedule it for this morning.  Good intentions and all that...

Here is my project for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Z is for Zoo challenge.  

Alas, it is snark free. I did try to channel my inner Tim Holtz on this card. 

My animal is a zebra.  I had some zebra print brads, which were black and white, but I used a Staz-On ink pad to make them black and brown.  I don't like using bright white embellishments when my card doesn't have any other white.  

The zebra stamp is from Sin City Stamps and the sentiment stamp is an old Tim Holtz stamp that I have had forever.  

Thanks for stopping by and happy travels!

Please stop by and visit my Snarky Sisters (list to the right)  and our reigning queen, Darnell, who is our Guest Designer this challenge.