Ink Dragging

I love paper! Beautiful, patterned, textured paper. I fall in love with it at the store and bring it home and SAVE it because it is just so pretty and I don't want to USE it because then I won't HAVE it. 

I know it may be hard to admit but I feel certain that I am not alone in this my crafty friends. Remember, I have seen some of your stash also! 

So what's a crafty girl on a budget to do? Even if I find a super sale of next to nothing I am not saving money if I do not use my supplies. So, my solution, DIY it! I buy mostly solid papers and I stamp and I ink and I layer and I shimmer and I emboss it to create the backgrounds I want.

One of my favorite ways to create a background is to ink drag over an embossed image. This is a quick and easy way to create beautiful panels for your projects. Let me walk you through how I do this. 

I start with some Neenah Bright White 90# cardstock cut to 5 1/4 x 4 inches and run it through an embossing folder. The texture alone makes a great card front or base for any project. Here I used Tim Holts Alterations Roses Texture Fade for a nice deep image. To kick it up a notch and match my project, I used mini cubes of Distress Ink in Picked Raspberries to lightly cover the project. Do not press, just lightly touch the paper. For best results, I start at the top and lightly drag the ink cube over the surface towards me, lift up and move over slightly to start at the top again. I don't overlap the color but I am no worried about gaps. This process will leave some white space, especially if using distress inks. **You can use any ink you prefer in mini or full size. I like the control I have using mini.  After going over the entire card in this base color, I switched to Festive Berries to go over sections in a diagonal pattern, leaving spots untouched. This is a subtle effect with complimentary colors that blend together well.  You can dry between color layers when using contrasting colors to avoid the muddy look. 

For the 2nd sample, I used a similar ink dragging technique with 4 x 6 inch card font on the opposite side of the texture, going for more of a Petals look.  With the roses, both embossed and debased sides look fabulous.  I began with Ripe Persimmon for the full card. Went diagonally in a few spots with Worn Lipstick. Selected a few spots to touch with Festive Berries and lastly, Wilted Violet Distress Oxide. **Note the smaller cubes are easier to get select placement but the Oxides look fabulous!  I finished off the top, bottom and sides in Worn Lipstick.

I hope this gives you some ideas about using your ink cubes, or Gelatos on a blending pad, to add color to your embossed panels.   Happy Crafting Y'all! 

Easy DIY Envelopes ~ No Punch Board Needed

I know many of you see the punch boards and the traceable patterns and even the scoreboard tutorial videos for creating envelopes and wonder if it is a worthwhile investment.  Sometimes purchasing card / envelope base kits from the big box store with a coupon is the better option because those tools can be expensive and are not always practical. Even so, they still cost more than a 50 pack of card stock, which will create 100 card bases! 

I am here to tell you that you can make envelopes with printer paper, a ruler, scissors, the tools you were born with and your favorite adhesive faster than you can get put the punchboard, read the directions and prep your paper. By using printer paper, you can print free digital patters or stamp the envelope to perfectly match your card.  This works for any size and shape of card you care to create; A2, Square, Circle, Animal, or other odd shape. It's affordable and oh so easy! 

Check out my blog post at  KoalaTCrafts  for instructions and links to the video tutorial.  It's quick and easy!

Use pattern paper for a decorated look with not extra effort required.

Happy Cafting Y'all! 

Backgrounds and Besties

Let's play with Besties and Backgrounds and make some Summer Fun! 

Fluffy Sunshine Girl! 

I decided this Fluffy needed a shimmering pool of summer fun and I didn't want it to be the same old blue oval. She might be headed to the water but this girl needs some sun; Rose Gold to the rescue!

I started with simple blue cardstock and used an embossing folder to add some  dots for texture and fun.  Then I used a 2nd folder with the Summer Fun sentiment, I love this effect!  

I went over the piece lightly with Distress Ink in Picket Fence to make the embossed images pop. I used a water brush to detail the sentiment with Distress Ink in Peacock Feathers. The entire front was misted with my DIY Rose Gold Shimmer Spray. Find that Recipe HERE.  This was just the shine I needed compliment this Fluffy.  

Distressing the edges with more of the white was the final touch for this piece. 

I love the effect of one image embossed over another.
The White gives the Aqua the base needed to stand out over the background. 

Stay tuned for how this card comes together in a future post. I am part of the KoalaTCrafts Design Team and the July Challenge is being sponsored by Sherri Baldy My Besties. You can enter for a chance to win a Fluffy Sunshine Girl or twinkle Toes Troll HERE.  

Save 50% on most items with code YOURSPECIAL 50 mybestiesshop.com

Happy Crafting Y'all! 

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Twinkle Toe Trolls Background Process

MYBESTIESSHOP.COM

I love My Besties by Sherri Baldy! This month, the Design Team for JENSKOALATCRAFTS was challenged to use a Bestie to create a card or project of their choice. I was so happy to have Twinkle Toes Trolls #25 as an option since this cutie reminds me of a sweet girl in my life who happens to be turning 6 today!  One of her favorite colors is red so it fit perfectly with the monthly challenge.  I colored her up using colored pencils, added a bit of Wink of Stella and set to work making a card background with some interest.

Use these items to create a stunning background

First I grabbed some red and blue 65# cardstock cut to 4 1/4 x 5 1/4 inches so there would be a slight peek of card base once the front was attached. I prefer to use the lighter weight yardstick when layering pieces on a card base, especially for this technique.  I embossed both pieces with Tim Holtz Alterations Swirl design by Sizzix. I carefully cut 1/4 inch off each side of the red and matched up the designs so they fit exactly on one another.  I trimmed the top of the red piece at an angle to reveal a little more of the blue.

I separated the pieces and used Picket Fence Distress Ink to drag along the card fronts to catch the raised areas. For the blue, I used Bahama Blue Momento ink to drag randomly across the card front. With the white having set, this gave the blue on blue effect I was looking for.  I used metallic gold ink by Stampabilities to distress the edges.  For the red, I did a 2nd dragging of Picket Fence to make it pop a bit more and distressed the edges with Festive Berries Distress Ink. I layered the two pieces, matching the embossed design and attached with Art Glitter Glue. Then I sprayed the entire front with a mist of my Gold Shimmer Spray FIND RECIPE HERE and set with a heat gun just to speed things along.

DIY Shimmer Spray Recipe

I raised Twinkle Toes  off the image using double stick foam tape and added birthday sentiment gifted to me by a follower that I punched out with a 1 inch circle punch and added a coat of Wink of Stella for some added shimmer. I used the gold ink to drag along the top and bottom card edges and centered the card front so a little gold would peek through. 

add Wink of Stella for extra shine!

I hope you have been inspired to try this layered textures technique. If you would like to get your own Twinkle Toes Troll, visit  MYBESTIESSHOP.COM and use coupon code YOURSPECIAL50 to save 50% on most products in July

For a chance to WIN a digi of these darling trolls or a fluffy, enter the Monthly Challenge at JENSKOALATCRAFTS with any project using Red or Blue or Stars. 

Tick -Tock & Polka Dots!

Tick-Tock! Tick-Tock!! Tick-Tock!! 

Do you ever have one of those days where you need to get something done and everyone, or everything, seems to be working against the clock?  That's when I turn to a card sketch and a coordinated paper pack to make things easier on myself. Pull out the trimmer and some punches and you are all set. Simple can be beautiful and a 'need it now' project can still have WOW impact with a few extra touches that take only seconds to achieve.  I considered adding texture to the solid base pieces with am embossing folder for a little extra oomph though I felt the patterns being used had a lot going on and it wasn't necessary. Sometimes, less is more, and more can be distracting.  Plus, the clock was working against me.

I started with this sketch by Julee Tilman for MOJO MONDAY For the sake of time, I went with the square option with a base being 5 1/2 inches on black. I love to build cards on black, it's forgiving and makes other colors pop! 

Using Art Glitter Glue meant I could move things around for a second, if needed, but had zero drying time delays. Grabbed the trimmer  for 4 quick cuts. 

1. I cut the solid pieces 3 x 5 1/4 and 2 3/4 x 5 1/4, glued to base overlapping in the center.  
2. I picked a striped paper with glitter accents and cut it to 5 1/2 long by the width of the glitter stripes I wanted to show. Cover the center seam.
3. I cut the black polka dot paper into a wide strip 1 3/4 x 5 1/2. The 2 strips extend to the edges of the black card base. *Extra steps ~ Inked the edges of the stripe and polka dots strips in Picked Raspberry so they wouldn't show white.  Gave the dots a quick coat of Wink Of Stella in Clear and hit with a heat gun.  
4. Laid the dots opposite the stripes to form a cross. 
5. Punched circles in 2 1/2, 1 1/2, 1 1/4 inches. *Extra steps ~ inked the edges in Picked Raspberry.  Layered the 2 1/2 inch circle on top of a 2nd circle in black for slight lift. 
6. Popped the medium up on foam tape, doubled the foam tape for the smallest circle for extra dimension. 
7. Arranged over the center of card to form a cluster, as shown in sketch, that showed off the decorative paper. 

I was able to showcase the glitter paper elements in such a way that I did not want to add anything else. Plus, I just love polka dots! I hope this post inspires you to try a card sketch to create something beautiful, even when time is short. 

Happy Crafting Y'all!  

#CommentKindness Campaign

I am so happy to be a part of #CommentKindness Campaign! 

I am a long time follower of Maymay Made It; her videos are always informative and uplifting. She lives her faith out loud and I LOVE that! I believe in living a life of service, helping those you can when you can to make a difference in a life. Those who know me personally know that I do this through actions and deeds on a regular basis. 

Comments count, what you say matters. Someone hears it, reads it, feels it. Maymay has challenged many YouTube creators to join in "Being the Light!" by posting a kind comment at least once a day on a video, Facebook or Instagram.  You will see #CommentKindness popping up in social media starting July 2nd, search for the # to see this in action!

Help spread #CommentKindness

I challenge YOU to participate in this campaign, Your Comments Matter! Choose a creator, friend, colleague, friend, family member, YouTuber, Blogger, Instagrammer who's touched your life and reach out to them with an uplifting comment! 

Click the link to see Maymay and Vince explain #CommentKindess.    

Maymay Made It #CommentKindness Campaign

Happy Crafting Y'all! 

Join the My Besties Challenge

I am so excited to be a part of the KoalaTCrafts July Design Challenge sponsored by My Besties.

I love these digital prints of cute big eyed Besties, Twinkle Toe Trolls, Star Children and more. I print multiple copies to fussy cut any layer to make cute 3D cuties that I often use on cards and pocket letters. 

The Challenge theme is any creation you like that includes the color Red or Blue or Stars. 

There will be 2 winners, picked at Random, and announced August 1st. The Design Team is also voting on an Honorable Mention project to be featured on Jen's blog.  

Click below for full details and to enter your project by July 31st.  

 July Challenge 

Head over to www.mybestiesshop.com to see the amazing selection of Besties Sherri Baldy has to offer. During July, save 50% off most digital items with the code YOURSPECIAL50

Twinkle Toe TROLLS 25

This precious My Besties Twinkle Toe Troll was my entry for the July Design Team Challenge. She was inspired by a special little cutie turning 6 with a July birthday who happens to LOVE the color red!  

I will have a process post coming soon for the background effect.  

Happy Crafting Y'all!