Crafting By Carol

Monday, May 20, 2019

Happy Honey Bee Day! Blog Hop

Did you know that today is National Bee Day? How fitting it is that Honey Bee Stamps is participating in a blog hop for Bee Day! To see all the other designer's card and the full hop list head over to the Honey Bee Stamps blog HERE.

For my card I used the new Honey Bee Paper Piecing dies. (I have a complete supply list at the end.) This is the first card I've made in a long time that had ZERO coloring on it! Haha! Once I figured out my design, this card was super quick and easy to make.

I used a sheet of patterned paper from the 6x6 paper pad called The Bees' Knees. Y'all, this paper pad is SO pretty! You really should check it out!!! I adhered it onto black and turquoise layers. For the sentiment, I used one from the the Hi Honey set and stamped it onto a layer I die cut using one of the Double Stitched Polygon dies.

After I assembled the bees I cut some vellum to add behind their wings. I glued them on with some Distress Collage Medium-Matte. I then added some sparkle to all the bees' wings with a clear sparkle pen. Two of the bees are popped up with foam squares. The polygon shaped is popped up with foam tape.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Long live the bees!!!! Carol :)

Supplies:
Honey Bee Stamps:
Honey Bee Paper Piecing Honey Cuts
Double Stitched Polygons
A2 Double Stitched Frames
Busy Bees stamps & Honey Cuts
Hi Honey stamps
The Bees' Knees 6x6 paper pad

Other supplies:
Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares, Small
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
Tombow Foam Tape
Wink of Stella Clear

It's The Simple Things, Art Impressions

Hello! Here it is already Monday again and that means I'm over on the Art Impressions blog with this fun and sweet card using the Stayin' Afloat set.

I used the Girlfriends Stayin' Afloat set and a sentiment from the WC Sentiment Set 2. I stamped the image onto watercolor paper with Versafine Onyx Black in and heat embossed it with clear powder. I used watercolor markers (listed below) to color everything. Sometimes I added the marker direct to the paper and pulled the color out with a damp brush. Other times I scribbled the marker onto my glass mat and dipped my brush into it. For the white dots on the pink float I used some white gouache. I like it because it's totally opaque. I put a tiny dab onto my mat and mixed in just a bit of water. To get the nice round dots I dipped the end of a rounded stylus into the gouache and touched it to the paper.

After I stamped the sentiment in Versafine Onyx black ink, I heat embossed it twice with clear embossing powder. Then I cut it out with the small tag die from the Tag Stitched Dies set. I used the same die to cut tags from the pink and striped papers. I adhered all three tags together and used some twine from my stash to add a bow.

The pink cardstock is adhered to the card base and the image with the striped edge is popped up on foam tape. I used some thin 3D foam squares for the tag.

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a fun and crafty week!

Watercolor markers:

Tombow: 173, 493, 565, 636, 743, 885, 969, 977, N89

Marvy LePlume II: Sapphire, Tropical, Yellow, Brilliant Yellow,

Brown, Brownish Grey, Rosewood

Supplies:
Art Impressions Stayin' Afloat set
Art Impressions Tag Stitched Dies
Art Impressions WC Sentiment Set 2
Versafine Onyx Black Ink
My Favorite Things Sweet Celebration 6x6 paper pad
Judikins Diamond Glaze
WOW Clear Gloss Super Fine embossing powder
Gina K. Designs Passionate Pink Premium Cardstock
Scrapbook Adhesives Thin 3D Foam Squares

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Banish The Dust Bunnies!, Art Impressions

Or at least don't feed them! LOL! Hello friends! It's week 2 of Art Impressions Shaped Cards Challenge and I have a round, scallop-edged card today. I'm featuring the new Housework Set. This set has several more little complimenting images and many sentiments to make this so fun to make for a card to bring a smile to that special friend!

I used several dies to create the shape of this card. All are listed below (don't be thrown off by the "Donut Card Die" as it is perfect to make a non-donut round card!) I stamped her onto some Copic Xpress-It paper in a Copic safe ink and colored everything with my Copic markers. I drew in the little flowers on her dress and added dots of white gel pen to the center. Yes, I did fussy cut this entire image! I didn't get too fussy! LOL! The small spaces were cut out with my craft knife. I used Memento black marker to go around all of the edges for that finished look. She really needed some eyelashes too and I added those with a Micron 005 black pen. The bubbles, water and her eyeshadow is sparkled up with a clear sparkle pen.

In order to stamp the floor in, I stamped the bottom portion of the stamp onto some masking paper and fussy cut the bottom of it out. After placing it over my colored image, I stamped the floor. Check out this awesome stamp set called Get Grounded in the link below.

I used a circle die to cut out the striped background paper. I used the same die to cut just the bottom of the floor in order to be able to line up my fussy cut image to the bottom of the circle.

Thank you so much for stopping by! We hope you will join in the Art Impressions Shaped Cards challenge! Stay crafty and inky!

Copic markers:

Dress: Y08, Y11, RV21, YG06, C1, C3

Skin/makeup: R20, E000, E13, E21, E34, RV04, B00

Shoes/jewelry: RV23, RV21, Y08, Y11

Chair: N6, N7, N9, C3, C5, C7

Bucket & accessories: B18, B28, B29, RV14, RV23, RV21,

C0, C1, C3, Y08, Y11, YR24, YR26, YR27

Hair: E99, E29, YR27
Floor: Y00, Y11, Y13

Supplies:

Art Impressions Housework Set
Ink Blot Shop Get Grounded
Honey Bee Stamps Great Outdoors 6x6 paper pad
Honey Bee Stamps Donut Card Honey Cuts
Honey Bee Stamps Double Stitched Circles
Honey Bee Stamps Scallop Circles

Versafine Onyx Black ink
Gina K. Designs Amalgam Ink

Gelly Roll White Gel pen

Micron 005 black pen

Copic X-press It paper
Spectrum Noir Clear Sparkle pen

Monday, May 13, 2019

Rainbow Birthday Card, Art Impressions

Happy Monday! Surprise! It's not just any old rainbow here---it's a rainbow OCTOPUS card! Haha!!! I'm sharing this today over on the Art Impressions blog today and hope you'll check that out! You'll find all the details on how I made this there. I've listed the supplies I've used below!

I really hope you've gotten a smile from this rainbow octopus!! Thanks for stopping by!

Zig Marker colors:
Octopus: Geranium, Orange, Yellow, Light Green, Persian Blue,
Deep Blue, Deep Violet, Purple

Ocean waves: Light Blue, Cobalt Blue

Supplies:
Art Impressions: Octopus Flip Card set, Flip Card Die
Strathmore Bristol Smooth Cardstock
Versafine Onyx Black ink
Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Versamark ink
WOW Super Fine White embossing powder
Honey Bee Stamps Ocean Borders Stamp and Border die
Honey Bee Stamps Rainbow Deluxe Sequin set

Monday, May 6, 2019

AECP, Beyond Basic Backgrounds

Hi friends! I have two cards inspired by Altenew Academy's Beyond Basic Background class. This is one of the required classes working toward my Level 2 certification.

I actually took this class when it originally was offered and completed three cards that are in the gallery and on my blog post HERE. This go round, I went for a technique I couldn't do in Lesson #4 called Matt Watercolor Resist. This technique uses a laminator and I now have a Minc Mini and really had a lot of fun with this.

I die cut a mask from freezer paper using the Cover Die A from Altenew's Layered Medallions A set. By folding the letter size paper in half, you get two die cuts. After placing the mask onto watercolor paper, I ran it through my Minc Mini on setting 5. Here is a tip for you that I learned: After you have painted over the masked panel, let it air dry! I thought I'd speed up the drying process on the pink card and used my heat tool to dry the paint. Well, that actually made it quite a struggle to remove the mask. In the lesson, Lydia Evans shows us how she used her heat tool to warm up the freezer paper mask to remove it. Even using the heat tool on the pink card, it was very hard to get off. However, I let the blue panel air dry, and it was super easy to get off!

The sentiment is from the Floral Shadows stamp set. I layered it and the die cuts onto vellum die cut from an oval die.

The panels for both cards were watercolored in the same manner using Altenew's Watercolor 36 Pan Set create the ombre wash over the background. For the first card above I used just one color--Mountain Mist. I put a puddle of the color on my glass mat and I added a drop or two of Ken Oliver Craft's Liquid Metals in Platinum. I've had this product for a few months and hadn't used it. I have to say that it added a beautiful shine to the paints. Here are some process photos that I took when painting the pink panel. Click on the photo if you'd like to see it larger.

I used one stamp from the Floral Shadows Stamp Set to watercolor the piece you see on the blue card above. I ended up not using this pink one, but both were done the same way. Since I still had some paint mixed with the Liquid Metals on my mat, I used my brush to dab it onto the stamp. I used my MISTI so I could stamp multiple times onto the watercolor paper. Once I was satisfied and it was dry, I used the coordinating die to cut it out.

For this card I used Puffy Heart and Pink Diamond paints from the set. I cut a diagonal strip in the panel and popped the pieces up with foam tape. The sentiment is from the Birthday Builder stamp set. I added some pink sequins and a drop of White Blizzard Nuvo Glitter Drops to the center of the sequin.

Thank you so much for taking a look. Carol :)

Supplies:
Altenew Layered Medallions Cover Die A
Altenew Watercolor 36 Pan Set
Altenew Birthday Builder Stamp Set
Altenew Floral Shadows Stamp & Die Bundle
Ken Oliver Crafts Liquid Metals, Platinum
Heidi Swapp Minc Mini

Wine Taster BFF's!, Art Impressions

Happy Monday! I'm on the Art Impressions' blog today with a card featuring these fun loving gals from the Wine Tasters Set. They really look like they are having so much fun talking and laughing!

I stamped the image onto Neenah Solar White paper with Copic safe ink and colored everything with the Copic colors listed below. The wood floor is actually just a 1" strip of wood pattern paper from the Spring Market pad. Here's how I got the "seamless" look:

Using a ruler, I drew a pencil line where the floor would begin.
Next I used my paper trimmer to cut the straight lines, being sure to stop before I cut of the bottom of the stool legs. I also added some shading to the floor beneath the stools.
I finished up the cutting by fussy cutting the legs up to where I had originally drawn the pencil line. I also used a craft knife in a couple of the tight spots.
Once it was all cut out, take your strip of wood paper and butt it up against the white paper and position the cut out portion of the stool legs on top. I secured it temporarily with some removable tape and added dots of glue to the bottom of the stool legs to adhere them to the floor.
Then, use the Rounded Rectangle Stitched die to cut the entire piece out.

I used a Tag Stitch die to cut out the stamped sentiment. I wanted a shadow layer behind it, so I used a pencil and traced around the outside of the same tag die onto some white paper. After I fussy cut it, I used a coordinating Copic to add the color. (I did the same thing to get the coordinating layer behind the Rounded Rectangle die.)

Also, for the matching little brad (from my stash) well it started out as a silver brad. You can color embellishments with your Copics to match, which is what I did. Just be sure to give it plenty of time to dry so you don't smudge it. I tied a bow with twine from my stash and added it to the tag!

Thank you so much for taking a look! Have a wonderful week!

Copics used:

Yellow top: Y08, Y13, Y11, Y00

Blue pants: B99, B97, B34

Green top: YG09, YG07, YG06

Pink top: RV14, RV13, RV10

White pants: C3, C1, C0, C00, 0

Hair: lady 1-E42, E43, E44, E55; lady 2-YR23, YR24, E99;

lady 3-E23, E25, E29, E79

Skin: E13, E11, E00, E000, E0000, R32, R30

Stools: E55, E57, E59

Wine glasses: C0, C1, R59, 589

Supplies:

Art Impressions: Wine Tasters Set; Rounded Rectangle Double Stitched dies; Tag Stitched dies

Carta Bella Spring Market 6 x 6 paper pad

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Workout Gal Wheelie--Week 2 Interactive Cards Challenge!

Hello friends! It's week two of Art Impressions Interactive Card challenge! My card today features the new to the Ai shop Workout Gal Wheelie!

Working out, putting on makeup, and a glass of wine--sounds like a fabulous work out, right?!! This is such a fun card and the wheel actually turns with a tab on the inside of the card! I couldn't decide on what colors to use, so I looked through my pattern paper packs and found one that had some colors I thought would work. Do you ever do that?

To get started, I stamped all the images with a Copic safe ink and colored all the pieces and parts. I've listed my marker colors below. Die cut the extra pieces with the included dies. I followed the directions on the package and also watched THIS video where Kate shows exactly how to put this together. I'm such a visual learner and found the video very helpful!

Here are photos of a few of my steps. Click on the photo to see it larger. Starting with the top left photo, the description is:

After positioning the layer beneath the stamped image, trace the circle that was die cut in the wheel.
Tape the ¼" die onto the aqua layer, centering over the pencil line and die cut. Also, I don't have round foam dots so I took a square one, taped the die on it and die cut a circle!
I added some thin foam tape to the back of the stamped panel for some dimension, then adhered it to the aqua layer
After I layered the patterned paper and aqua layer and then adhered it to the card base, I again traced the circle opening. Then use the circle die to cut the opening.
This last photo shows how the foam dot I die cut fits perfectly in the opening! To finished with the turning tab, just follow the package directions.

When I was adding the included white brads, I didn't care for the white showing so much. I took a coordinating Copic marker and colored it so it blends in some. Much better I think!

For the sentiment, I stamped it and then cut it out with one of the Flag Double Stitched dies. I cut it twice more with coordinating paper from the paper pad. I used the Tiny Attacher to staple them together. I also, very carefully, colored the staple with a pink Copic. Finally, I added Diamond Glaze to her sunglasses and wine glass.