There’s a Mouse in the House

Hey, it’s the long weekend. Didn’t the summer go by quickly? Autumn is in the air, here in Sarnia. Yesterday I was in long sleeves, and turned off the air. The day before was so hot and humid the air conditioning had to be on. Gotta love Canada’s weather. What long weekend plans do you have? I’m going on three weeks vacation and there will be no internet connection. Are you kidding? How will I cope with no computer. Augh! No blogging, no reading my 50 blog subscriptions, no contact with family, friends, or viewers of my blog. Please don’t leave me. I’m so worried that I’ll be left in the dust because I can’t blog.
This House Mouse image was sent to me as a virtual swap over at the Stamp-Shack. The task was to make a card and post it in the gallery. It is so neat to see what other cards are created with the same images. So far, I’m the only one to add real crayons to the card. This is the first virtual swap that I really, really wanted the stamp. How fun to add crayons to the card. It’s perfect as a thank you card for a teacher, don’t you think?

Enjoy your long weekend. Safe travels to those who are travelling.

RAK from Maria

Look what I got from Maria. Isn’t this card gorgeous? It is so, so pretty, and must have been hard to part with. I almost left it in the plastic envie, and I am so glad I didn’t; look at the inside.
The verse says, “Thanks for touching my life with your special friendship! Maria and I have become friends through blogging, and it is a friendship I treasure because Maria is such a sweetie. Maria has challenges every Tuesday, and I like to participate in them. Maria has been nominated for best hobby blog, so if you visit her blog, please scan along the right bar and cast your vote. Click here for her Card Inspired blog, and here for her Stamp’n Inspirations blog. You won’t be disappointed.

Waterfall Card by a Jean

This wonderful waterfall card was made by Jean all the way from Australia. Jean is a frequent visitor and has tested out of my tutorials. She is such a wonderful person and has very creative cards on her blog. To see Jean’s work click here.

Flap Fold

Good morning. Today’s assortment is called the flap fold. True to their name, the front of the card is a flap. The card has a second opening, in behind the flap. This design is perfect for holding a gift card in behind the flap. These particular cards were made for one of my Christmas orders. Speaking of Christmas, did you see I have the countdown on my side bar? I thought it would be a reminder to us all to get those Christmas cards, and tags, made early.

Stamp: Doodle This
Image was gold embossed and coloured with Tombow markers. Stickles were added onto the petals. Flower is mounted with a brad. Some backgrounds were embossed with the cuttlebug.

Tutorial Tuesday - Alcohol Inks, Batik Mulberry Paper

SUPPLIES:
Mulberry, or handmade paper
Versamark ink pad
Clear embossing powder
Heat embosser
Stamps

Stamp image with Versamark and then coat with clear embossing powder.
Heat embossing powder, being careful not to singe mulberry paper.
Alcohol inks can be dripped into stamp pad lids, or a palatte.
Dampen mulberry paper with a spray mist, or lighly under tap.
Use a dampened sponge brush to transfer the alcohol ink onto the mulberry paper.
This technique is not limited to painting your ink onto your mulberry paper; you also drip it directly from the bottle.

Let your paper dry completely.
Place your mulberry paper between paper and iron to take off the shine of the clear embossing powder. It is important to use plain paper, and not newsprint, because the words will transfer from paper to mulberry paper. Iron should be on a heat setting without steam.

A sea of mulberry papers ready to be transformed into cards, tags, and other items.

When you are ready to create your card, glue the mulberry paper onto white cardstock. Using white cardstock will help to make a big impact in areas that do not have alcohol ink on it. Use a sponge brush and lightly cover your cardstock with white glue. Flatten out your mulberry paper as best as you can. A brayer is helpful in this process.

Here are two examples of how I used my mulberry paper.

Please let me know if you try this technique. I would love to post your cards on my blog. You can e-mail me your attachment, or leave a comment in this post, or the shaving cream post. Good luck!

Shaving Cream Technique

This is a very easy technique, and so fun. The name gives it away, “Shaving Cream Technique.”

SUPPLIES:
Shallow palatte, or meat tray
Foam shaving cream
Alcohol Inks
Paper Towels (not in photo)
Straw or stir stick (not in photo)

Spray shaving cream on pallate

Using your straw, flatten the top of the shaving cream.

Randomly drip alcohol ink on top of the shaving cream.

Using your straw, make swirling motion so the ink is moved around.

This is how your palatte will look.

Take your paper and place it on top of the shaving cream.

This is how your paper will look.

Take a second sheet of paper and place it on top of your first paper.

Wipe shaving cream off your paper.

This is how your paper will look. Allow to dry completely. You are now ready to make your cards.

In this card the shaving cream technique was used as a background paper.

Here the image was stamped directly onto the shaving cream paper.

Autumn Gift Set