A Father's Day Card and a Fabric Printing Tip

I'm still quilting away, and was seriously starting to think about giving up cards completely. Then, I needed a Father's Day card and just couldn't bring myself to buy one from a store, so I cleared a small space in my craft room and went to work. 

Ok, not exactly. It's been so long since I've made a card, I probably spent 30 minutes just looking around the room, trying to remember how to make a card and where I kept my tape gun and glue. Then, I drew a blank on what to make. But, a Mojo Monday sketch got me going pretty quick. And, here's what I ended up with:

And, here's the inside:

I honestly was not looking forward to making a card today, but it turned out to be as fun as it used to be! I guess I'll be keeping all my papercrafting supplies after all.

As for the fabric printing tip I mentioned, I have spent quite awhile trying to make a quilt label for my daughter's first quilt. I designed it in Word, which was a piece of cake. And, I printed it onto muslin by first ironing the fabric to an 8-1/2" x 11" piece of freezer paper. No problem. But, since I knew the quilt would eventually be washed, I had to make sure the label could survive washing, too. And, that's where the problems came in. (Sorry for the poor pics--I used my phone for these.)

These are just a few of the failed labels I made, starting with the ink almost completely washing out, to lots of bleeding, and even a blue-tinged muslin background. I read about something called Bubble Jet Set 2000, which I don't have, and couldn't get right now, so I found a DIY for it. The first two labels were on untreated muslin, with the first one heat set with an iron and rinsed with plain water. The second one was heat set, then got a vinegar bath, before being rinsed with plain water. The third one, which is incredibly color-rich, was printed on muslin pre-treated with the DIY Bubble Jet. It was gorgeous right out of the printer, as were the rest of my attempts on the treated muslin. But, the fabric softener rinses ruined all of them because the ink bled into the muslin so bad. The one with the blue-tinge was rinsed in a bath of regular blue Downey, rather than Downey Free--oops! I was about to give up completely, but decided to give it one more try and finally found the solution:

This one looks much better than the others! And, it was so easy! I found out that all the ink bleed on the previous tries was because I had my printer set on the "best" printing setting. Almost all the people who wrote about doing this said to print on the highest quality setting. I found, for my printer at least, that using the highest setting put too much ink into the muslin. The image was really vibrant after printing, but couldn't stand up to even a drop of water. For this final label, I set my printer to a standard quality setting, printed onto untreated muslin, heat set it with a hot, dry iron, gave it a 100% vinegar bath, swishing for 10-15 seconds, then immediately put it in a quick bath of cool water mixed with about one teaspoon of Downey free (the clear kind), swishing it continuously for another 10-15 seconds. I did NOT wring it afterward. Instead, I laid it between two clean towels and pressed the water out as much as possible. (Ink was still coming out of the label--my white towels now have gray stains. Be sure to use old towels!) Finally, I heat set the label with my iron. I tested washing it again (without vinegar) and it held up great!

A lot of people recommend vinegar to set ink in fabric, but just as many say that vinegar won't set ink, especially into cotton fabric. I don't know what finally caused the ink to set, but what I found was that, while water caused most of the ink to immediately lift and/or bleed--every single time, with vinegar, only a small amount of ink lifted, and there was no bleed. Any time I had gotten bleed, it was during the water bath, not in the vinegar.

I did like the way the DIY Bubble Jet worked by giving me a much more vivid and crisp image on the muslin, so I am going to using it again, but printing with a standard quality setting onto treated muslin, when I make a label for my quilt. If it works better, I'll let you know.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Father's Day!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday #452
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Animal Magic
613 Avenue Create #181: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

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Mojo Monday 400 Contest and Designer Search!

Mojo Monday is celebrating it's 400th sketch challenge this week! Whoo Hoo! Congratulations Julee!!! I have a special fondness in my heart for Mojo Monday. It was the very first challenge I entered when I started making cards 4 years ago (ok, I put a link to that first card, but be gentle with any comments; I was brand new at cardmaking). A few months later, I kicked off my own blog with another Mojo Monday challenge entry. So, while I haven't been with Mojo Monday since it's beginning, Mojo Monday has been with me since mine!

To celebrate this Mojo milestone, Julee is doing two things: using her very first sketch for this week's challenge, and offering two participants a spot on the Mojo Monday DT! Exciting!!! I had a blast creating my own embossed background paper for this card, using the Verve Bloom & Grow stamps, probably my most used Verve set. 

I love how the background turned out, and it was so easy to make. I just spritzed a piece of white cardstock with water, then used Dylusions Ink Sprays to add color. After drying it completely, I stamped the leaves from the Bloom & Grow set in Versamark ink and heat embossed them with copper embossing powder. To give the ink sprays a softer look, I sprayed water over the entire sheet one more time after embossing, then let the paper air dry in a book press so it would dry flat. The sentiment, heat embossed in copper, is from the On Occasion stamp set

The inside of the card has a simple message, from a Penny Black stamp set, which might seem odd for a Father's Day card, but it is perfect for my husband. Our sweet, sweet daughter is with us today because eleven years ago my husband was willing to trade in his long-anticipated, quiet, peaceful, golf-filled retirement days for my tiny, newborn granddaughter. And, he didn't just agree to adopt her, he insisted on it, and I am grateful for that selfless act every single day (even when I'm ticked off and want to lock him outside of the house!) ;)

I hope that the next time I post a Mojo Monday card it's as a member of the DT, but even if I'm not one of the lucky winners of a DT spot, I'll continue to enjoy Julee's sketches and challenges, both at Mojo Monday and Viva la Verve. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a Mojo-filled day!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Mojo Monday 400
Simon Says Wednesday: Make it Masculine
613 Avenue Create #126: Anything Goes
Sugar Pea Designs SPD16: Hey Dude!
Corrosive Challenge Blog #225: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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Father's Day Metal

Ever since I made my Faux Metal Art project, I have been looking for ways to incorporate Inka Gold into my creations. (Eventually, I'll get around to posting those creations.) ;) Well, Father's Day is almost here, so a manly card is in order, and what better time to add a little faux metal, right? ;-)

This card's design is from the Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 5 sketch, and I have to admit, when I saw that sketch, I almost decided to just skip it and let this month's VLV challenge go. But, then I saw a really cool die from MFT stamps that reminded me of riveted steel. Perfect! I cut the strips from kraft cs, added several colors of Inka Gold, gave them a good buff, and voila! Faux metal! For the Father's Day banner, I first covered a piece of kraft cs with Inka Gold, buffed it, then heat embossed the Father's Day sentiment with copper ep. To give it a little more dimension, I curved the center of the banner a little and attached it with Coll-All 3D glue. I used Coll-All to attach the "metal" strips, too. The bg was distressed by inking the edges of the paper, tearing it in a couple of places, and adding more age with a few splatters of watered down Inka Gold, and random stamping using Gathered Twigs Distress Ink and a couple of pieces of wrapped candy. Yep, you read that right...wrapped candy. I had a square of Dove chocolate and a wrapped Jolly Rancher candy in a basket on my table, so I inked up the bottom of the chocolate piece and the crinkly twisted end of the Jolly Rancher and stamped just like using a regular stamp. 

The circular images were heat embossed in silver, onto paper that I had first watercolored with Inka Gold. To distress them, I tapped a little Versamark in a few places, then dipped them in Distress Embossing Powder.

I did minimal stamping on the inside of the card, and threw in another faux metal strip to "anchor" the white panel. This card was quite fun to make! :)

Thanks for stopping by!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve May 2014 Week 5 Sketch Challenge
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge: Anything Goes
Paper Issues: The World is a Circle
The Paper Shelter Challenge #160: Make it Manly

~Hugs,

Supplies Used:

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A Father's Direction

I'm still coloring up a storm since my Copic classes, and haven't stopped to make too many cards, lately,. :) but I did finally use one of the images for a Father's Day card.

I used the Viva la Verve April 2013 Week 1 sketch, Color Throwdown #238 color palette, and Simon Says Stamp theme of "Travel," for this card. After coloring the image, I used a cloud stencil to create clouds, and some Copic Opaque White and a toothpick to create the ocean spray. The burlap started out as a creamy white, but I changed that with my Copic Air Brush System by spraying it yellow, then toned that down a little bit with brown. I like the aged look. I layered several die cuts, did some sewing, and lifted the image panel and mats with layers of crimped cs--all of this on a yellow card base.

For the brads, which were bright yellow brass, I colored them with a dark brown Copic marker, and randomly added a few spots of black. Since the dye won't absorb into metal, it was sticky afterward, so I just sprayed it with a light coat of clear sealant, which fixed it right up. :)

I didn't have much of the argyle dp left, but wanted to use it on the inside, too, so I cut thin strips and created a simple frame for the navy cs square. The sentiment layer die cut is the same design that is layered behind the black pinstripe layer on the front. I stamped the sentiments, glued the die cut to the navy cs, and added Distress Stickles around the perimeter. I don't use Distress Stickles very often, but they are perfect for a masculine or distressed card.

That's it for the card, but I have one more fun thing to share with you...

A couple of weeks ago I made a blue fabric-covered box, and it was so much fun to make, I just had to make another one. This one is for my DD. I love all the bright, fun colors, and she does, too. It matches her room perfectly! I went a little crazy in the fat quarter department of the fabric store last week, and now I'm all set to make several more of these. :)  They are really sturdy, and make great gift boxes! A link to the tutorial I used is on my Blue Box post.


Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I'm entering the Father's Day card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve April 2013 Week 1 Sketch Challenge (VLVApr2013)
Simon Says Stamp: Travel/Cityscapes
Color Throwdown #238 (CTD238)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: A Guiding Light, Seaside Life (Flourishes); Simply You (Ali Edwards)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey); Hattie Papers (My Mind's Eye); Flourishes Classic White (Flourishes)
Ink: Copics; Copic Opaque White; Spica Pen; Memento; Distress Ink; Stampabilities
Dies: Std Circles Lg, Classic Ovals Sm, Splendid Circles, Labels 18 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Cloud Stencil (Inky Antices); burlap; Copic Airbrush; brads; Distress Stickles; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: 4.75" sq.

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Thanks Dad

Hi Friends! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I'm just getting home from a weekend filled with Copics! I was finally able to take the Copic Certification classes, and it was awesome!!! I highly recommend the class if it comes anywhere near your area. I'm still trying to process everything I learned, but I am eager to get my markers out and practice, practice, practice. Right now, though, I have to wait. I've just gotten home from my weekend excursion and now it's time for church, so, quickly, here's a card I made before I left for the weekend.

Here's a look at the inside.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday #287 (MOJO287)

Color Throwdown #236 (CTD236)

Simon Says Stamp & Show: Anything Goes

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Lucky Guy, Best Mom, Banner (Studio G); Distressing (Glitz)
Paper: So Sophie (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Colorbox; Memento; Distress
Dies: Classic Scalloped Ovals Lg (Spellbinders); Die-namics Sunflower (MFT Stamps)
Accessories: Dashes Embossing Plate (Sizzix); ribbon; pearls; Pearl Pen; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Kaleidoscope Father's Day

Hi Friends! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! I have a quick Father's Day card to share with you today. Flourishes is having a Gimme Ten (minute)! challenge, and even though I usually take hours to make a card, I thought I'd give it a try. And, I used this week's Play Date Cafe Color Challenge for my color palette:

I mentioned, in my last post, that I wanted to take a photo of my home library and try to come up with my own personal designer paper. I had already made almost a dozen versions of the photo, using different effects to make the photo more abstract. But, my library is mostly dark cherry wood, and most of the books in the photo I wanted to use are leather-bound in rich reds, browns, and blacks--no where near copasetic for the color challenge--so I used my photo program to make a few more changes.

I used the tiled and kaleidoscope version of the photo, and simply adjusted the colors until they fit the color challenge. Easy peasy! Now, thinking about the design of this card took a long time, but finally putting it together was a snap. I printed the kaleidoscope design to the size I needed, cut it out, punched the corners, inked the edges a little, then heat embossed the sentiment. Then, I glued everything together. Metal accents are glued to each corner.

Finally, I added Stickles to the design. Even close up, you can't tell that this design was originally a photo of a library. I love the kaleidoscope effect feature in my photo program!

On the inside, I thought about adding some kind of sentiment, but decided to just stamp a light motif as a background. I'll add a personal sentiment before I give it to my husband.

And, that's it--quick and easy! Well, quick, after I figured out what I wanted to do. ;)

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Flourishes Gimme Ten Challenge (FLLCJun12)

The Play Date Cafe PDCC135: Aquamarine, Poolside, Clay

One Stop Craft Challenge #186: Father's Day

Secret Crafter Saturday Challenge #189: Father's Day

Sugar Creek Hollow Challenge #15: Make Your Own Designer Paper

Thanks for stopping by today, and I hope the rest of your weekend is fabulous!

~Hugs!

 

Stamps: A Guiding Light (Flourishes); Motif (Inkadinkadoo)
Paper: My Library in Kaleidoscope Digi Paper (Personal)
Ink: Distress Ink; Clear embossing ink
Accessories: Morocco Lace Edger (EK Success); white embossing powder; metal accents (K&Co); Stickles; Distress Stickles; sewing thread
Size: A2 (5.5" x 4.25")

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Time With You

Hi Friends! Hope you're having a good weekend. I know it's still a while until it's here, but I've got a Father's Day card to share with you today.

The chair and sentiment stamps are from Flourishes, and the copper embellies are brads. I paper pieced the chair cushions and colored the rest with Copics. I used Distress Ink for the shadow under the chair.

I created the inside sentiment in Word and printed it directly onto the cardstock.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C134: Paper Piecing

Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Chairs for You, Moments in Time (Flourishes)
Paper: Best of K&Co
Ink: Distress Ink; clear embossing ink; Copics
Dies: Small Labels, Large Labels, Curved Rectangles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Antique copper brads (Making Memories); chocolate embossing powder (Zing); foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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