Halloween Treat Bags

Halloween is just around the corner and what could be more seasonally appropriate than some "boo-tiful" little treat bags. There's a complete step by step tutorial showing how I made some on the Ranger Project Page, using Ranger Archival Inks, Transparent Gloss Texture Paste and Liquid Pearls; I'd love for you to pop over and take a look!

Pink Christmas!

It's that time again at Jingle Belles, our favorite prompt of the year: PINK CHRISTMAS! In which you make and link new holiday cards that are predominantly PINK and we (Stephanie and Lauren) donate $2 (apiece!) per card to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation! Yes, you can link as many cards as you'd like to and no, your cards don't need to be entirely PINK but we'd like the pink to be the main color. Options regarding size, shape, themes and additional colors added in with the PINK are up to you! 

Sound good? Then without further ado, here's my card:

You know how it is when you have NEW crafty goodies: you just cannot wait to use them, then you can't stop, right? I am currently obsessed with Wendy Vecchi's NOT Your Ordinary Card Collection from Spellbinders, so for this card I broke out the Christmas Add-On Stamp and Die Set and used the triple holly leaf die to very quickly cut lots of layers from textured pink cardstock; which I then inked and stacked, in two five-petal layers for each flower, into poinsettias, finishing off with the three berry cluster at the center, and finally a few tiny stick-on pearls plus a few cuts of the beautiful, delicate greenery die. I used the sentiment stamps from the set and a Build-a-Plaid background made with the second smallest stencil and Pink Peony Archival. A little bit of lace, some darker pink mats and a bit of machine stitching and I was good to go! There's a little more detail about the making of the poinsettias and the use of the Build-a-Plaid Stencils on my blog.!

The poinsettia-making process is made much easier by starting out with a 3/4" circle of adhesive cardstock, upon which you stack your first layer of five poinsettia petals; then you add five more petals... (staggered between each pair on the first round) ...and make them immobile with a second 3/4" circle of adhesive cardstock on the back.

Speaking of EASY: of course you can use the Build-a-Plaid Layering Stencils without any special equipment but... IF you happen to have the MAKE ART Stay-tion, not only do you never have to worry about securing the stencil edges with any sort of adhesive, you can also do things like an evenly spaced diagonal plaid background with NO measuring or worrying about keeping the stripes parallel. I do like to place a small tape loop behind my paper before I begin, so that it doesn't shift as I change stencil directions, but other than that the four super-strong, never-pinchy magnets that come with the Stay-tion are more than adequate to the task of holding the stencils no matter how many times you re-arrange them.

I do hope you'll head on over to Jingle Belles to see Stephanie's gorgeous PINK CHRISTMAS creation and then start planning what you'll link up with us this time. This challenge (#JB2421) runs until 6pm (Eastern) on Wednesday, October 23rd.

Scaredy Cat?

There's no need to fear! Fun and fabulous Halloween cards are easy as (pumpkin) pie with Eyelet Outlet Small Eye Brads, Spider Brads, Spider Washi and Glitter Black Tape paired with the sweet kitty, spider webs and sentiment from the Halloween Add-On to Wendy Vecchi's Not Your Ordinary Card Collection from Spellbinders.

And YES, the Build-a-Plaid Layering Stencil Set continues to be very addictive (in a GOOD way!); this time I've used Cactus Flower, Petunia, Violet, Orange Blossom, Tea Rose, Fern Green and Prickly Pear Archival Inks from Wendy's Designer Series Line at Ranger. I love that they are translucent so that you get different tones in the places they overlap!

Happy PURR-thday!

The Halloween Add-On Stamp and Die Set from Wendy Vecchi's latest Spellbinders release, Not Your Ordinary Card Collection is indeed outstanding for Halloween but... it's not JUST for that holiday.* Case in point:

A little bit of a warning: when you start paper-piecing the adorable kitties, you should probably allow a little bit of extra time and cardstock because once you start, you will likely not be able to stop at just ONE cat! For that matter, the Build-a-Plaid Layered Stencil Set is also quite addictive. This time I chose to go with some of the softer shades from Wendy's Ranger Archival Inks, so I used Leaf Green, Sky Blue and Pink Peony. Of course it's entirely possible to work with any stencil set without the MAKE ART Stay-tion, but it's so incredibly helpful that I'd hate to be without it at this point. I used a few of the dies from the Pinking Edge Birthday Add-On to make the main portion of the sentiment; and some of the accessories are from the Christmas Add-On set.

I had been planning to use the cool pocket and some of the dies in the Essential Envelope Set, but by the time I was up to three cats I couldn't just choose ONE so I made a larger (not quite A7) card they could all inhabit!

*I do actually have some fab Halloween ideas for the set, as well, and they'll be coming along in a future post!

Customized Notebook

I'm happy to be up on the Ranger Project Page with a very fun and funky composition book I altered using some of my favorite products: Ranger Archival Inks, Liquid Pearls, Stickles and more! I'd love for you to CLICK THIS LINK and visit the step-by-step tutorial! ♥

It's In the Bag

I needed a fast giftbag for a birthday dude, so of course I couldn't resist using Wendy Vecchi's "Not Your Ordinary Card Collection" dies from Spellbinders. This time I chose a more masculine palette of Archival Inks to use with the Build-a-Plaid Layering Stencils (English Ivy, Tiger Lily, Peat Moss and Monarch Orange) with which I adorned an Essential Envelope pocket and also a small kraft gift bag from the big box store. 

I used the Pinking Edge Birthday Add-On to make a card to tuck into the pocket, which, as it turns out, was also just big enough to hold a medium-sized candy bar. I added a few strips of Wendy's Washi Tape Assortment 1 and a bit of ribbon and twine and called it good.

Visit Spellbinders to see the entire "Not Your Ordinary Card Collection" as well as Wendy's previous Garden Collection! And you should definitely check out the Facebook Group, Make Art with Wendy Vecchi where you can see lots of Wendy's makes and videos, as well as checking out what other crafters are doing AND you can post your own Vecchi-centric creations, too!

Not Your Ordinary Card Collection

I'm thrilled to get my hands on Wendy Vecchi's new collection from Spellbinders, which is called “Not Your Ordinary Card Collection” and I assure you, it totally lives up to its name. I couldn't wait to dive into the Essential Envelope Die Set, which has TWENTY dies, including this cool style of open envelope, which is a bit like a library pocket, so of course I was onboard as soon as I heard that, lol! I've also used all of the flowers, most of the leaves and the sentiment from the set, and for my first project I just diecut colored cardstock to which I added very minimal shading with Wendy's Archival Inks from Ranger.

The Build a Plaid Layering Stencil Set is also outstanding; it features five 6x6" stencils, each with a different size of parallel stripes, so you can (as the name implies, lol) literally build a different plaid pattern every time. I chose to make a very loose, multi-color design featuring some of my favorite Archival shades including Rosy Posey, Pink Peony, Leaf Green and Sunflower.

For the interior card I used the medium sized frame die from the Pinking Edge Birthday Add-On set, which has three different pinked panels and some cool birthday accessories like a multi-layer cake, as well as the perfect "Happy Birthday" sentiment that you can cut with or without a shadow. 

I'm excited to play with more of the birthday accessories later; oh and there's a very cool Halloween Add-On with stamps and dies (and the cutest cat everrrrrr!) as well as a Christmas Add-On... all of which I will be digging into SOON, so stay tuned! Meanwhile all of these items are available separately or as a bundle on the Spellbinders website as well as fine papercrafting stores everywhere!  

SOS529: Just Because

Did you know that August 27th is National Just Because Day? If so, you've probably already guessed that we're looking for all-occasion, no-particular-reason cards this fortnight at Shopping Our Stash! Which means we can get right to my card, perhaps the most flat-but-layered thing I've ever made?

I raided my big box of unused backgrounds for the bluey-green panel (composed of blended Oxide Inks, lots of over-stamping and Taylored Expressions' Rosy Posey Embossing Folder) added a torn strip of bright white sheet music onto which I applied LOTS of 49 and Market Kaleidoscope Rub-on Transfers; a cluster of diecuts (also 49 and Market) and I even lucked into a pre-colored Wendy Vecchi Studio 490 flower sprig in exactly the right shades (Night Sky, Garden Patinga and Leaf Green Archival Inks). I finished off with a whole bunch of distressed edges and a bit of machine stitching; whereupon this A6 card was complete.

Be sure to venture over to SOS to see what the rest of the Crew have made and start planning your own "Just Because" card. This challenge runs until the evening of Monday, September 9th.

Liquid Pearls + Archival Inks + Stencils = Colorful Joy

Ranger's Liquid Pearls are super-versatile and add extra shimmer and dimension to any project and (as my title implies) they work really well in conjunction with stencils... a bunch of which I've used to make a trio of colorful encouragement cards. Follow along, via my step-by-step tutorial, on the Ranger Project Page.

Ranger Fluttering Stickles

Summer is the perfect time for cards with bright colors and LOTS of sparkle! Head over to the Ranger Project Page and follow along as I use rainbow shades of Ranger Archival Inks and Stickles Glitter Glue to make a card that's almost literally over the rainbow!

Glossy Accents Shower Cards

I'm up on the Ranger Project Page today with a pair of cards featuring Letter It's Shower Stamp Set, Simon Hurley's Happy Hearts Layering Stencils and Ranger's Glossy Accents... as well as Archival Inks, of course! I'd love for you to hop over and check out the full tutorial.

Taking (Card)Stock

It's week two of our Jingle Belles celebration of Cardstock Christmas for which absolutely NO patterned paper is allowed. I usually semi-panic at times like these, but luckily my Wendy Vecchi stamps, Chippies and 3D Embossing Folder stepped in to save the day!

I stamped half a dozen poinsettias from Wendy Vecchi's Doodle Christmas Stamp Set and a bunch of holly leaves from the Doodle Holiday set, embossing them in Ranger Lilac Pearl and White Embossing Powders, respectively. I colored them with Petunia, Peat Moss and English Ivy Archival Inks, then did a bit of fussy-cutting before adding Sunflower Liquid Pearls to the centers. I stamped the large swag of greenery from Doodle Holiday in English Ivy across the chunky chipboard "Joy" from Wendy's Statements Chippies; then mounted all of the above on a cardstock panel to which I gave quite an impressive bit of dimension with Spellbinders' Flowers & Foliage 3D Embossing Folder. One skinny Petunia mat later, my 5.5" square card was complete!

You still have until next Wednesday evening (5/22/24) to join our Jingle Belles' Cardstock Christmas fun, which we hope you will!

Bold & Bright

It's a coolish, greyish day in central New Jersey, which seems like the perfect time for a big, bold Mandala to brighten up your Monday! This one features Wendy Vecchi's Garden Party stamps from Spellbinders; radiant, radiating, rainbow shades of Wendy's Archival Inks from Ranger; and a whole lot of MAKE ART and Studio 490 stamps and stencils applied over and under the hand-drawn mandala shapes I rendered with my Letter It Fineliners. 

I work on mandalas in many different ways to keep things interesting, but for those interested in process, this piece went... roughly... like this:

• Lightly pencil-sketch a few concentric circles, centered on an 11x11" piece of bristol board. An old school compass is good for this, you can even trace rolls of tape or your nested circle dies, but I do also love the Helix Circle Tool!
• Apply Archival Inks with a Mini Ink Blending Tool and Domed Foams, working in rings from the center outwards and allowing them to blend wherever they overlap. Colors are: Prickly Pear, Bluebird, Night Sky, Cactus Flower, Rosey Posey, Peachy Keen, and Sunflower... then around again to Prickly Pear, etc.
• Stamp the large floral cluster from the Garden Party set in the center in Watering Can Archival.
• Add background patterns by stamping a variety of small elements and portions of large background stamps more or less randomly, in coordinating colors.
• Draw the basic structural lines with a .01 or .04 Letter It Fineliner, again working from the center outwards; starting with the two large concentric circles, adding large petal shapes and large circles between the petals.
• Add detail lines and shapes such as the rings of smaller circles and petals, plus the secondary "shadow" lines inside or outside the larger shapes.
• Using sticky notes to mask if necessary, neaten up the loose rings of color with Ranger Detail Blending Tools; for example I applied more Bluebird ink to the area around the Garden Party florals so the circle border is a darker green; I pulled more Peachy Keen out into the large hand-drawn petals; darkened the ring of smaller circles around the center, etc.
• Add more definition with a white paint pen in the form of lines, dots and small hearts, then outline with a .01 Fineliner.
• One final neatening up of shapes and shadow lines with coordinating brush pens wherever necessary.

Bloomin' Beauties

I'm constantly inspired by Wendy Vecchi and Cassie Lynch, especially when it comes to the building of "flat layers" by which I mean adding lots of inking, stamping and stenciling in a "collagey" style... thereby achieving the appearance of dimension and texture WITHOUT the bulk or weight of physical layers. I'm still practicing at this skill, but I think today's background is pretty good!

I "smooshed" several shades of Wendy's Archival Inks from Ranger (Bluebird and Prickly Pear to be precise) onto the Craft Mat attached to the back of my MAKE ART Stay-tion, spritzed with rubbing alcohol, then picked up the result with a panel of cardstock. When it was dry (which is nearly immediate using alcohol and Archivals) I added a cascade of stamped leaves in Leaf Green; some text in Night Sky and a few stenciled dots in Bluebird. When my flat background was complete, I added a few torn strips of Wendy's Washi Tape, and added flowers from the Spellbinders' Vintage Florals Die Set, which I stamped Perfectly Plaid in Tea Rose and added some Sunflower Ink on top. I started out with leaves and centers that were Fern Green and Bluebird, respectively, but at the last minute I swapped them for plain which which somehow simultaneously made them blend in AND stand out better?!

If you are not following @wendyvecchi and @mk_knits on Instagram you are missing some VERY good stuff, I tell ya! Additionally, Facebook users will enjoy the Make Art with Wendy Vecchi Group, where you can get lots of ideas and inspiration from fellow Vecchians, as well as post your own Wendy-centric creations. Either way, be sure to catch Tip Tuesdays which are absolutely always full of beauty and practical tips!

Celebrating MOM!

Here in the USA we'll celebrate Mother's Day on Sunday, May 12th; so this is the time to go all-out for our favorite ladies! Today I'm up on the Ranger Project Page using bold and beautiful Ranger Archival Ink shades with Dina Wakley Pocket Circle Stamps, Simon Hurley Sunrays Layering Stencils and Letter It Sentiment Stamps in STARRING roles, I'd love for you to head over there and see the full tutorial!

It's Wendy's Day on Thursday

Does anyone know if there's a twelve-step program for embossing? Because I seem to be addicted to embossing with Ranger White Embossing Powder on white Perfect Cardstock... then blending various shades of Wendy Vecchi's Designer Series Archival Inks on top.

This card has a rainbow of Archival Inks (Pink Peony, Sunflower, Leaf Green, Bluebird and Cactus Flower) over Wendy's Perfectly Plaid background stamp; and Cactus Flower over her Polka Dots (both are from the Stampers Anonymous Studio 490 collection). I used the Vintage Florals Die Set from Spellbinders' In the Garden collection to diecut a cascade of flowers, leaves and a sentiment. 

I'd write more, but I have a few additional ideas for emboss/resist, so I think I'll sign off for now!

Too Many Prints? (...naaaahhhh...)

I may have gotten slightly carried away combining Wendy Vecchi's Vintage Florals die set (from Spellbinders' In the Garden Collection) with some of her older Studio 490 background stamps (Herringbone and Perfectly Plaid to name just two!) and of course I had to try a few experiments with inking the Flowers and Foliage 3D Embossing Folder before running it through the diecutter... but... it's finally Spring and our gardens are full of a riot of real-life colors, shapes and patterns, right? (Not to mention what feels like record-setting amounts of POLLEN; but that's a completely different issue...) 

Mandala Monday: Painting With Archival Inks

It's a Marvelously Modular Mandala Monday featuring three of my favorite new Ranger Archival shades... Aubergine, Beach Cruiser and Mountain Lake. I painted one large mandala using my Archival Reinkers and a waterbrush filled with rubbing alcohol; added random patterns with Dina Wakley Coaster Stencils; did some outlining with Letter It Fineliners; used the leftover diluted ink to add splatters galore; et voila!

Did you know that you can use Archival Inks do many of your favorite waterbased ink techniques, including paint with them? The secret is to use 91% Isopropyl Alcohol instead of water; because, of course, Ranger Archivals are alcohol-based. If you "smoosh" an Archival Ink Pad onto your craft sheet or dispense a few drops from a Reinker plus a few drops of alcohol onto a plastic-coated paper plate, you can then pick up the result with a brush. Please note that Archival Inks ARE permanent, but they do clean off of your craft mat with Alcohol Wipes. If you take the same precautions from staining as you do when using Alcohol Inks, you'll be fine!

After I finished the one big mandala, I sliced it into four ATC-sized quarters, added a few color-coordinated mats and made them into four A2 cards. 

I hope your second week of April is off to a nice start and that you find time to do something creative today!

PS: You still have until this Wednesday (4/10/24) to visit SCT Magazine's New & Noteworthy feature on the new Ranger Archival shades and leave a comment on their post for a chance to win ALL the new colors (& coordinating Stickles) plus a $50 Ranger Giftcard!

Archival Inks and Stickles All Occasion Card by Lauren Bergold

Did you know that Ranger Archival Inks emboss beautifully? Not that there aren't enough gorgeous Ranger Embossing Powder shades for nearly every project, but if you want to use a specific Archival color (like my current favorite Graphite!) being able to emboss with Clear Powder gives you even more options. Ranger's six bold new Archival Ink Shades (Cayenne, Wine Cellar, Mountain Lake, Beach Cruiser, Aubergine and Graphite) with coordinating Stickles Glitter Glues are bound to inspire lots of beautiful palettes. I'd love for you to hop over to the Ranger Project Page to see a card tutorial in which I've paired Beach Cruiser and Aubergine (with YES, plenty of Graphite!) to create a bold all-occasion card; be sure to read all the way to the end, there's a surprise involving a few extra shades, as well. Oh and don't forget to visit Scrapbook & Cards Today's feature on the new Archivals for a chance to win the complete set AND a $50 Ranger giftcard!

SCT Magazine & Ranger: GIVEAWAY!

Would *YOU* like to win a $50 Ranger giftcard AND the six gorgeous new Archival Inks (& Stickles) shades?! (Who wouldn't, right?) Check out my tutorial on the Scrapbook & Cards Today Blog and be sure to leave a comment on their post naming your FAVE of the new colors! (Giveaway ends NEXT Wednesday 4/10.)