Stamp Your Art Out!

Here's what our monthly class made for November.

Project Details
Stamps	Ornamental Pine, More Merry Messages, Gorgeous Grunge
Card Stock & Papers	Mossy Meadow: card base 5 ½ x 8½ score at 4 ¼ Whisper White: 4 x 5 ¼
Ink	Cherry Cobbler, Mossy Meadow, Chocolate Chip, Encore Gold Metallic, Encore Silver Metallic
Accessories	Basic Pearl Jewels, sponge dauber
Tools	Ovals Framelits

Project Details
Stamps	Festival of Trees, More Merry Messages
Card Stock & Papers	Soft Suede: card base 5 ½ x 8½ score at 4 ¼ Very Vanilla: 4 x 5 ¼                             2 x 4 punched tree
Ink	Soft Suede, Encore Gold Metallic
Accessories	Gold Satin ribbon, Linen Twine, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Gold pen
Tools	Tree punch, Filigree Frame embossing folder

Project Details
Stamps
Card Stock & Papers	Real Red: 5 ½ x 8 ½ Whisper White: 1 ¾ x 3 for collar Basic Black: 2 ½ x 5/8 for belt Silver Glimmer paper: punched belt buckle
Ink
Accessories	Exacto knife to cut slits in belt buckle
Tools	Fry Box die, Sm Curly Label punch, Labels Framelits

Project Details
Stamps	Festival of Trees
Card Stock & Papers	Crumb Cake: card base 5 ½ x 8½ score at 4 ¼                            3 ¾ x 5 Very Vanilla: 4 x 5 ¼
Ink	Chocolate Chip, gold Metallic ink
Accessories	Gold Satin Ribbon, Early Espresso Baker’s Twine, Basic Pearls, Stampin’ Dimensionals
Tools	Tree Punch

Blessings Book

In Bible Study a couple of weeks ago, my friend Wendy shared with us how she collects various scriptures that mean something special to her. She keeps a little notebook with cascading tabs which she uses to label with the chapter and verse. I thought that was such a wonderful idea, and wanted to make one too. Another friend in our group, Beryl, had a terrific idea! We could make file folder mini books! She and I are the ones in the group who have made mini books before so we are going to help the others make theirs. This is my first attempt, but I know when I see what Beryl came up I will want to make another one with the group. No problem, cause I have someone to give one of them to:)

Graphic 45 papers

This pocket holds my prayer book.

Cascading flaps for verses, tabs for chapter and verse numbers.

Tags will hold verses on the back.

Pockets hold little mini books.

One pocket folds out to reveal more writing space.

The Bokeh Technique

What exactly is bokeh? you ask. In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens. Bokeh has been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". It is pronounced “bow” as in bow and arrow, and the sound of “ke” when saying kettle.

We made birthday cards for seniors today in Card Ministry at St. John's United Methodist Church. This technique was perfect for that and we had such fun making them!

I have tried two variations of the bokeh effect for card backgrounds. The first is done with watercolor paint and paper using a watercolor wash technique. The second is done with Stampin’ Up! ink on a watercolor wash.

For the second stage of this technique, you will need a stencil of different sized circles. This can be easily made by punching 3 to 4 different sizes of circles out of acetate or vellum. Stampin’ Up! has Window Sheets: two 12 x 12 sheets for $4.95 and vellum comes in a package of twenty 8 ½ x 11 sheets for $6.50.

Supplies

A watercolor brush and water or an Aqua Painter

Water color paper

Stampin’ Up! White Craft Ink

1. Begin with a 4 ¼ x 5 ½ inch piece of watercolor paper taped to a board with painter’s tape. (when finished, you can trim to 4 x 5 ¼ inches)

2. To create a watercolor washed background, thoroughly wet the paper with water and a brush. You want a very wet background because you are going to be dropping paint onto the wet background and that’s what is going to create that nice soft haze. 

3. Select a pairing or a trio of pigments that you like. Wet your brush and begin picking up each of the colors and dropping them onto the paper. Because the paper is thoroughly wet, it’s going to start spreading that pigment around all by itself! As you are picking up new color, drop it right next to the color you’ve already laid down and let them start to blend together. Then continue to pick up water on your brush, pick up pigment and drop it into the paper. Continue to do this until you’ve covered the entire paper. You can do this using various random splotchy shapes or washes of stripe type shapes.

 

4. If your paper starts to dry, just pick up more water to help move the pigment around. If you find that the water is pooling around the edges, just use a dry brush or a paper towel and dab at the edges. This should soak up all that extra water. If you want your background to be lighter or less vibrant, add more water to your paint when picking it up and if you want a more intense background, use more pigment than water. If some areas are darker than you’d like just use some dry paper towel and pounce it to pull up some of that pigment. You can also flick clean water onto it to lighten up some areas as well.

5. Once you’re happy with the results you can just set it aside to dry or use your heat tool to speed up drying time.

6. Once it is dry, remove the tape and stamp. It dries quite a bit lighter than it looks when wet. Use Memento, dye ink pad because it’s waterproof and won’t smear.

7. For the magical effect, use a homemade stencil from plastic/acetate and circle dies or punches.

8. To create the bokeh effect, take the white pigment ink and start sponging it through the openings in the stencil. Use several of the sizes and vary the intensity with which you put on the ink.. For the larger circles, put it on lightly. Then as the circles get smaller, progressively use a heavier touch you’re your application of ink. Then replace the stencil and do the same thing. With the bigger circles, you should  work in odd numbers. I used 5. The theory behind that is, when you see even numbers you subconsciously want to start counting, so if you want something to seem more random, then use odd numbers. Continue to work your way through the different sizes and be sure to overlap occasionally because you want to achieve a very random look, just like the bokeh effect that appears in photos. So overlap them without thinking too much about the placement. For the smallest circles, press with full pressure, stamp a couple times between reinking. Just relax and have fun with it. In a photograph, these smallest circles will generally be the darkest, which would be the brightest reflections, the most in focus in the bokeh effect.

9. Now that pigment ink takes quite a while to dry, so you’ll either want to wait for it to fully dry or use your heat tool to speed up the drying time.

10. To add a little bit of sparkle and glitter to the project, I used a Clear Start Gelly Roll pen by Sakura. Sequins also give your creation a nice touch.

Bokeh With Stampin’ Up! Inks

Supplies

An Aqua Painter (or water color brush and water)

Stampin' Up! Ink Pads

Water color paper

Stampin’ Up! White Craft Ink

1. To get a nice puddle of ink on the lid to work with, squeeze your inkpad before opening it. An Aqua Painter is a great tool for this technique because you can add water with a squeeze of your fingers. Stampin’ Up! offers two in a package for $16.95, you get 1 medium brush tip and 1 large brush tip.

2. To obtain the watercolor wash, again, thoroughly wet the paper with water and a brush.
3. Just as before, select a pairing or a trio of pigments that you like. Then use your Aqua Painter and begin picking up each of the colors and dropping them onto the paper, and continue to do this until you’ve covered the entire paper.
4. Once complete set it aside to dry and continue as in the previous method.

Card Ministry

One of our ministers works with couples as they prepare for baptism, so we made some baby cards for her.

Project Details
Stamps	That’s The Ticket, Word Play
Card Stock & Papers	Very Vanilla Soft Sky/or Pink Pirouette Coastal Cabana/or Strawberry Slush
Ink	Coastal Cabana/or Strawberry Slush
Accessories	Coastal Cabana/or Strawberry Slush Ruffled Ribbon, Very Vanilla ribbon, Basic Pearl Jewels, Stampin’ Dimensionals, safety pins
Tools	Ticket Duo punch, Scalloped Oval punch, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, Decorative Dots Embossing folder

Project Details
Stamps	Swallowtail, En Francais, Happiest Birthday Wishes
Card Stock & Papers	Crumb Cake: card base cut 5 ½ x 8 ½,  score at 4 ¼ Very Vanilla: 4 x 5 ¼
Ink	Bravo Burgandy, Night of Navy, Island Indigo, Crumb Cake
Accessories
Tools

Card Ministry Fun

The Card Ministry at St. John's United Methodist is such a delight for me.  I get to share something that I love doing with others while creating things for others. This group of ladies is a wonderfully supportive, fun, uplifting and happy group:) The Church staff often tells me how much they enjoy signing all the cards to be sent out at their Monday morning staff meetings. I've also had many, many, members tell me how much they have enjoying receiving our creations. Our Church gives birthday cards to seniors 76 and up. We also make cards for sympathy, thinking of you, thank you and Baptism. There is another wonderfully talented group of ladies that make quilts for the babies that are Baptized, so our cards are a nice addition to those wonderful gifts. We used an old boot box to store cards for the Ministers' secretary, Sarah. We made dividers to organize the cards, so that she can easily find what is needed each week for the staff to sign. The box is on an office counter so that ministers can select a card at any other time.

I recently had a special stamp made for the Card Ministry to use on the backs of all the cards we make. I wanted people to know that a group of people from the Church create these cards especially for them.

This week I have a great technique to share with our group as we work on birthdays and babies:) I want to give a sneak peek at what we will create. We'll be using a watercolor wash and a stencil among other things.

Our group has been meeting at Church on the second Monday of each month at 1:00. Beginning next month, on December 1, we will change to the first Monday of each month at 1:00.

I fell so blessed to have such an amazing congregation, who has become such an important part of my life. I've certainly been enriched by knowing so many terrific people.

We Actually Had Snow In SC This Weekend!

I got up early on Saturday to work at our Church Apple Festival. It was raining when I left the house at 7:00 A.M. We NEVER get snow this early, so when someone said it was snowing outside, I thought they were just kidding. I didn't even bother to look outside. A while later, I happened to be walking by a window and there were HUGE snowflakes falling! Amazing. A while later, some friends who live about 40 minutes east of us texted some pictures of several inches on the ground in their yard. Freaky!! Anyway, with snow on my mind the next day, I remembered these snowflake brads I got on clearance a couple years ago. I have bunches of them, so when I saw the cute snowflakes in the Stampin' Up! catalog, I decided to use what I have rather than buy more. However, if you love the look of some sparkly snowflakes on your cards, these Frosted Sequins are the bomb!

Frosted Sequins             135835                      Price: $4.95

Everything is better when it's shiny. Add some instant glitz and glamour to any project with these white and silver sequins. 450 sequins. 3 sizes: 3/16", 5/16", 1/2"

Project Details
Stamps	Ornamental Pine
Card Stock & Papers	Crumb Cake: card base 5 ½ x 8½ score at 4 ¼ and                                             flagged banner
Ink	Craft White, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip
Accessories	Linen Thread, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Snowflake
Tools	Oval Framelits, Sponge Daubers

Ornmental Pine Again and Again!!

Did I mention that this is my favorite stamp set this Christmas? lol Yep, still not tired of it yet!

Project Details
Stamps	Ornamental Pine, Gorgeous Grunge
Card Stock & Papers	Mossy Meadow: card base 5 ½ x 8½ score at 4 ¼ Cherry Cobbler: 4 x 5 ¼ Very Vanilla: 3 ¾ x 5
Ink	Blackberry Bliss, Baked Brown Sugar, Mossy Meadow, Cherry Cobbler, Encore Silver Encore Metallic, Gold Encore Metallic
Accessories	Linen Thread, Pearls Basic Jewels,
Tools