Stencil Challenge!

This week's challenge at Stampotique Designer's Challenges is "Stencils!" Here's the blurb about the challenge!

"We are talking about Stencils for this challenge." Everyone uses a stencil every now and then. For us, we use them a ton! Let's see your best project(s) using stencils!"

During June the Stampotique Design Team is collaborating with Eileen Hull's Design Team. We were supplied die-cuts from Eileen Hull's wonderful line of Sizzix dies and were to use them in conjunction with Stampotique's stamps, so I decided to combine challenges because I like to multi-task!

If you'd like the chance to win your choice of $30 worth of Stampotique stamps, you should play along with this challenge. Visit Stampotique Designers Challenge blog and be sure to read the rules so that you'll have the chance to win that great prize!!! Remember to check to see the deadline for all of this month's Stampotique Designers Challenge blog!

Here's my "Be Happy" journal with the Journal die (Eileen Hull/Sizzix) and Stampotique's Keykeeper (Kira Nichols), Folded Tags (Josie Cirincione), and "Love and Laughter" (Carol's Collection).

Keykeeper was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, and edged with a black marker.  Keykeeper's horns, teeth, and key were coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze gel pen (Sakura), then his eyes received dots of Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops (Tonic Studios), which didn't hurt him a bit.  Keykeeper was set aside to relax while I created the rest of the project.

The journal was assembled, then the back and front covers were sponged with Broken China, Worn Lipstick, and Wilted Violet Distress Oxide inks (Ranger), spritzed with water, heat-set, then the process was repeated until I was happy with the result. The inside of the journal was treated much the same way.

Folded Tags was stamped on the top of the front cover and the bottom of the back cover using Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink. It was heat-set.

Removable Scotch Tape was placed horizontally across the bottom of the front panel. Gunmetal Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Texture Paste (Creative Expressions) was scraped across the Small Keyholes Dylusions stencil (Ranger) and allowed to heat dry. When dry, the same texture paste was scraped over the words "Be Happy" from the Inspiration 6" x 8" stencil (DecoArt) and allowed to dry.

Wilted Violet and Worn Lipstick Distress inks (Ranger) were sponged over the Sheet Music stencil (The Crafter's Workshop), then Broken China Distress ink was sponged over the Pawprints Dinky stencil (That's Crafty).

"Love and Laughter" was stamped with Wilted Violet Distress Oxide ink, heat set, then die-cut with one of the dies from the Conversation Bubbles die set (Spellbinders). The cardstock was kept in the die and all three Distress inks were sponged over the die and the sentiment.

Music themed Washi tape (Little B) was added above and below the stenciled sparkle-pasted keyholes. Sadly when I went to trim the excess Washi tape off, the paper ripped off of the spine of the binder, so I had to repair it. Fortunately, I had some very old Gaffer cloth tape (7 Gypsies) that fit the bill. Now that there was more black, I sponged all edges of the binder with Black Soot Distress ink.

Once the torn paper emergency was resolved somewhat satisfactorily, Keykeeper was adhered and the "Love and Laughter" sentiment speech bubble was adhered over his head.

It was now time to bind the journal. I followed the directions and created some black cardstock signatures to serve as pages. Waxy Flax was threaded through the holes, tied securely, then some charms (a cat, key and lock, music notes, and "live, love, and laugh" were added with more Waxy Flax. By the way, I'm temporarily closing the journal with a beribboned binder clip.

Here's a photo that shows the spine and front/back covers.

Thanks for visiting today!

By the Sea

Today's card features Watching Waves, which is a wonderful beach image with a vintage feel. This fabulous stamp is available at at I Brake for Stamps.

Watching Waves was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto white cardstock, then die-cut with one of the dies from the Nestabilities Labels 8 die set (Spellbinders). I kept the image panel in the die and used Copic markers to add the edges of the sea and sand backgrounds. The image panel was then popped out of the die and I finished coloring the image. When I was done, I used an Inkssentials White gel pen to add some white caps and froth to the sea.

A strip of red gingham patterned paper from the By the Sea 8x8 pad (Graphic 45) was cut, then distressed to reveal the white edge. This was then layered atop another sheet of patterned paper from the same pad, then the image panel was adhered. The card front was adhered to a 5.5" square kraft card.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Click on my badge below to be whisked over to I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this code: SAVE10KATHI Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Thanks for visiting today!

Summer Fun Times!

It's now officially summer, which means we're all ready for Fun Times!

Here's a card featuring Frantic Stamper's brand new Ticket Booth and "Fun Times" dies.

The Ticket Booth was die-cut several times from white cardstock and once from black metallic cardstock. Copic markers were used to color the Ticket Booth and shaping tools were used to add a bit of dimension to the awning. The Ticket Booth was assembled onto a rectangle of black cardstock and the black metallic letters were adhered in place. The rectangle was matted with a scrap of gingham patterned paper and again with black cardstock.

Patterned paper from the On the Boardwalk 8x8 pad (Graphic 45) was cut apart, edged with Black Soot and Fired Brick Distress ink, then layered.

Metallic black cardstock was die-cut with the Fun Times die and adhered to the card front, which was then mounted onto a card.

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Special Offer from RubberStampMadness!

To receive a free copy of RubberStampMadness's Summer issue, send an email to rsm@rsmadness.com and mention Kat's Tales of Stamping! The first 100 responders will receive a copy. Here's information about the issue: ATCs are the main focus, with six-pages inside, and an ATC-filled cover. Down on the Farm stamp art incorporates cows, chickens, barns, and over-sized potatoes in pastoral scenes. Judy and Bobby Duke of B & J's Art Stamps share the story of their home-grown business and samples of Judy's fabulous artwork. A how-to feature explains steps for making Simple "Step Cards," perfect for sharing through the mail. Three terrific tags are showcased in The Tag Shoppe. An album of "Not-Feeling-So-Blue" artwork and more are in this issue.

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Be Fearless!

My fearless warrior princess is from the Couragageous Eyes set from the Eyes of Adventure collection by Carmen Medlin Designs, available at I Brake for Stamps.

The warrior princess was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) onto white cardstock and onto Eclipse Tape (Judikins). The Eclipse Tape version was fussy cut, then adhered over her counterpart on the Neenah cardstock to mask the image.

Pumice Stone Distress ink (Ranger) was sponged over the cardstock, then sponged again over the archway and the stone column on the Tuscan Wall stencil (The Crafter's Workshop). Some Worn Lipstick Distress ink was sponged here and there to add depth of color, then Pumice Stone Distress ink was sponged over it again to soften it. The tiles were outlined with a dark Copic marker, then colored with Toner Grey markers. 

The Eclipse Tape mask was lifted off of my warrior princess and I colored the grey background around her using Copic markers. The warrior princess was colored with Copic markers and some Green Starlight Glitter gel pen (Sakura) was used to add sparkle to her necklace and her sword.

The image panel was edged with Black Soot Distress ink, then adhered to a brown card. A sentiment sticker from the Small Talk Chit-Chat sticker pad (Idea-ology) was colored with a green Copic pen, then adhered to finish the card.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Click on my badge below to be whisked over to I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this code: SAVE10KATHI Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Thanks for visiting today!

Happy Father's Day Pop!

My brother-in-law calls my father-in-law "Pop", which is the inspiration for this card which features Frantic Stamper's brand new Soda Pop die.

Summer Carnival Fun is the theme of Frantic Stamper's June 2017 release. There are 25 new precision cutting dies and eight new stamps/stamp sets included in this exciting new release! Frantic Stamper, a fabulous online paper crafting store, also has its own wonderful line of precision cutting dies and clear stamps.

White cardstock was die-cut three times with the Soda Pop die, then colored with Copic markers to look like cola and orange soda.

Patterned paper from the Mellow 6x6 pad (Basic Grey) was layered. Rope patterned Washi tape (Little B) was placed over the seams between the patterns, then the three Soda Pop Bottles were adhered.

White cardstock was die-cut with the Typewriter Alphabet Upper Case (Impression Obsession) and adhered to the striped paper below the Soda Pop Bottles.

White and rust colored cardstock were die-cut with label dies (Spellbinders). The white cardstock was kept in the label and sponged with Distress ink. "Happy Father's Day" was stamped using the Sentiments II stamp set (Purple Onion Designs). The sentiment was adhered to the card front, which was then adhered to the card.

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Gnome Fishing!

Oh gno! It's time for another gnome pun. Since Father's Day is coming up rather quickly, I decided that the Fishing Gnome from the Gnome Sheet (I Brake for Stamps) would be the perfect image for a card! This fabulous gnome is one of NINE (9) gnomes and a plethora of mushrooms on that sheet. Please gnote that this sheet is a great bargain!

The Fishing Gnome was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) and colored with Copic markers. The image panel was die-cut with one of the dies from the A2 Card Creator Nestabilities die set (Spellbinders).

Old patterned paper from the Mellow collection (Basic Grey) was layered. A set of the Fancy Tags dies (Spellbinders) was used to die-cut white and patterned brown cardstock. Bon-Bon Simply Sweet rub-ons (Doodlebug) were used to add the sentiment.

I Brake for Stamps has a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Just so you know, I Brake for Stamps ships internationally!

Click on my badge below to be whisked over to I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this code: SAVE10KATHI

Thanks for visiting today!

What's Up?

This month the Stampotique Design Team is pleased to be collaborating with Eileen Hull's Design Team. We were supplied die-cuts from Eileen Hull's wonderful line of Sizzix dies and were to use them in conjunction with Stampotique's stamps.

Here's my first card that features Skull Balloons (Arwen McCullen), Neverending Wall, Small (Arwen McCullen),  Alpha Background (Arwen McCullen), Owl with Wings (Jo Capper-Sandon) with the House Pocket Thinlits set (Eileen Hull/Sizzix).

You can probably tell that my card was inspired by movie "Up!". Skull Balloons (Arwen McCullen) were stamped multiple times with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), colored with Copic markers, fussy-cut, and edged with a black marker. The plethora of Skull Balloons were set aside while I set to work with the house die-cut.

Owl with Wings was stamped twice with Tuxedo Black Memento ink, then trimmed so that the eyes would fit behind the house's windows. The Owl's eyes and the backgrounds were colored with Copic markers and set aside to watch over the Skull Balloons.

 Alpha Background was stamped with Brick Red Distress Oxide ink Ranger), then the letters that I needed for my sentiment were punched with my handy-dandy Small Rectangle Paper Shaper punch (EK Success).

I initially sponged pink and grey Archival inks onto the house die-cut, but the paper ended up pilling. Luckily Carbon Black and Titanium White Media Fluid Acrylic (MFA) paints (DecoArt) rescued the house. The paint was heat set, reapplied, then heat set again. Actually, the pilling might have caused one of those "happy accidents" because the house gained a bit more age and texture. The windows, roof ruffles, chimney, and door were also painted with Media Fluid Acrylic (MFA) paints.

When the paint was dry, Neverending Wall, Small was stamped onto the house with Watering Can Archival ink (Ranger), then dried with a heat gun. The house was assembled, the  Alpha Background sentiment was adhered, and dimensional foam tape was added to the reverse.

I found some cloudy patterned blue cardstock in my stash, which was cut to serve as my card front. Black thread was adhered to the back of each Skull Balloon, then the Skull Balloons were adhered to the card front with dimensional foam adhesive squares. The house was adhered over the balloons' thread strings and a silver metallic pearl was added to the door to act as a door knob.

The card front was edged with my beloved Black Soot Distress ink (Ranger), then adhered to a blue card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Enjoy the Ride!

Summer Carnival Fun is the theme of Frantic Stamper's June 2017 release. There are 25 new precision cutting dies and eight new stamps/stamp sets included in this exciting new release! Frantic Stamper, a fabulous online paper crafting store, also has its own wonderful line of precision cutting dies and clear stamps.

Here's my second card for my Frantic Stamper guest designer gig. It features the Large Carousel Horse die set and the "Enjoy" die. 

The Large Carousel Horse was die-cut several times from white cardstock. The body, mane, tail, blanket, garland, flowers, and leaves were all colored with Copic markers. The hooves and eye were coated with several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) to make them shiny and dimensional.

Silver metallic cardstock from the Metallic Stack (DCWV) was die-cut with the Large Carousel Horse's stirrups, the bit, and the bridle dies. Shiny black textured cardstock was die-cut with the saddle die. Gold metallic cardstock from the Metallic Stack was die-cut with the Large Carousel Horse carousel pole and "Enjoy" die.

A piece of blue polka-dotted patterned paper from the Bold and Bright Double Dot 6x6 pad (Bo-Bunny) was cut, then matted with a piece of leftover gold cardstock.

The Large Carousel Horse was assembled on the Double Dot paper and the matted image panel was adhered to blue cardstock (Bazzill Basics). The "Enjoy" sentiment was adhered. You'll note that I die-cut one of the flowers from the Large Carousel Horse die set to cut gold metallic cardstock. I used the flower to dot the "j" in "Enjoy". The image panel was matted with gold cardstock, then adhered to a blue card.

Thanks for visiting today!

Flowers!

This week's challenge at Stampotique Designer's Challenges is "Flowers!" Here's the blurb about the challenge!

"Let's see your favorite flowers this week!"

If you'd like the chance to win your choice of $30 worth of Stampotique stamps, you should play along with this challenge. Visit Stampotique Designers Challenge blog and be sure to read the rules so that you'll have the chance to win that great prize!!! Remember to check to see the deadline for all of this month's Stampotique Designers Challenge blog!

Here's my card with the wonderful new Microscopic (France Papillon) and Prairie Flowers (Terri Richardson).

I wanted to make the image look like a round vase, which was done by covering the top of the Microscopic stamp with Removable Scotch Tape®. The stamp was inked with London Fog Memento ink (Imagine Crafts), the tape was removed, and the image was stamped. 

Likewise, I wanted to use just the flowers from the Prairie Flowers stamp, so strips of Removable Scotch Tape® were placed over the frame around the flowers and the stamp was inked with Dandelion Memento ink, the tape was removed, and the Prairie Flowersimage was stamped so that the stems went into the "vase".

All images were colored with Copic markers, which were also used to create the background around the flower vase. 

The image panel was die-cut with one of the dies from the A2 Card Creator Nestabilities die set (Spellbinders), matted on grey cardstock, and adhered to a aqua/bluish card.

Retrospectively, I should have added more flowers to the vase, but I didn't want to mess with success! I know that I'll use this card design again, so there's always next time!

Thanks for visiting today!

Make a Wish!

Here's a card with The Queen, one of the fabulous Rick St. Dennis rubber stamps available at I Brake for Stamps.

The Queen was stamped with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (Imagine Crafts) and colored with Copic markers. The image panel was die-cut with one of the dies from the Crea-Nest-Lies XXL Tag #6 (CREAlies). The image panel was kept in the die, so that the floor could be added. Milled Lavender Distress ink (Ranger) was sponged over the die and onto the image panel. The image panel was removed from the die, then Gold Stardust Glitter pen (Sakura) was added to star on the The Queen's wand, radiating from her fingers, and from the moon on her headdress. Clear Stardust Glitter pen was used t add sparkle to the gemstones on her dress. Black Spica Glitter pen (Copic) was used to add a touch of sparkle to the buttons on her sleeves. When the glitter ink was dry, several layers of Clear Gelly Glaze pen (Sakura) was used to add dimension and shine to the moon on the Queen's headress, her dagger, and the star on her wand.

Patterned papers, from old 6x6 pads, were selected to match the Queen's  outfit then die-cut with the one of the dies from the Crea-Nest-Lies Extreme Labels #6. The patterned papers were layered, then adhered to green cardstock which had been die-cut with a slightly larger die. A sparkly holographic foil sticker was adhered over the seam, then the The Queen image panel was adhered.

White cardstock was scored, folded, and die-cut with the largest of the Crea-Nest-Lies Extreme Labels #6. The matted tag-shaped card front was adhered and a Chit-Chat sentiment sticker (Idea-ology) was adhered to finish the card.

I Brake for Stamps has a large selection of exclusive Rick St. Dennis rubber stamps plus a huge and varied collection of rubber stamps that you ought to check out right now. Click on my badge below to be whisked over to I Brake for Stamps to check out all of the goodies! Best of all, if you buy something, you can get a 10% discount off of your purchase if you use this code: SAVE10KATHI!

Thanks for visiting today!

Stay Cool!

I have some good news! I'm honored and delighted  to be guest designing at Frantic Stamper for the next few months! Frantic Stamper, a fabulous online paper crafting store, also has its own wonderful line of precision cutting dies and clear stamps.

Summer Carnival Fun is the theme of Frantic Stamper's June 2017 release. There are 25 new precision cutting dies and eight new stamps/stamp sets included in this exciting new release!

Here's the first card as a Frantic Stamper guest designer. It features new Soda Pop die, the Stitched Rounded Squares die set, and the "Stay Cool" sentiment die.

White cardstock was die-cut with the Soda Pop die, then colored with Copic markers. Solid and checkered patterned paper from the French Country collection (Graphic 45) was die-cut with the Stitched Rounded Squares die set. The checkered patterned paper die-was trimmed and layered atop the solid blue paper. The Soda Pop die-cuts were adhered to the the blue Stitched Rounded Square and a shadow was added with a Copic marker.

Red cardstock was die-cut with the "Stay Cool" die, then adhered atop the yellow Stitched Rounded Square.

Patterned paper from the On the Boardwalk collection (Graphic 45) was cut to form the card front, then adhered to a yellow card. The two die-cut panels were adhered to finish the card.

Thanks for visiting today!