How To Make a Mermaid Valentine Card With Stencils

Little did I know that when I posted this Mermaid Valentine card using Funfare Stencils that the technique I used to make the ocean and waves would interest so many people! This project was posted 4 years ago. I loved the process and am thrilled to share it for you again. It was a long and artsy process so settle in for a LIST of photos. 

~ Oceans of Love ~

Paper Supplies in Inches:

Heavy cardstock for card, 4x6

Medium to heavy weight cardstock for image base, 3.5 x 5.5

Scraps of paper for tearing. 7x3

Tear your paper scrap in half. Tear slowly and with lots of "dips".

Don't feel silly practicing this!

The torn paper is the key to the wave look.

Coloring Products:

 White embossing powder (Zing), white pigment ink (Clearsnap), and three colors of mist.

I used a mint green (Heidi Swapp), a teal (Tattered Angels)

and London Blue (Dylusions).

For tools you will need sponges or cotton rounds and a pointed stick (mine is for applying rubons).

Adhere the torn paper strip with the strait edge 1/4 of the way from the top. Apply the adhesive just to the ends so that no debris remains on the image base.

Mist the sponge with the lightest color and spread it on the base in a circular motion. The color should cover all the paper beneath the torn strip.

Repeat the process with the medium color but do not cover the entire paper.

Sprinkle the darkest color onto the base by removing the spritzer and tapping the tube. Be sure to cover the top of the base with a scrap paper to catch oops drips. Leave the drops on the paper about 10 seconds before spreading them in a circular motion.



 The base needs to be completely dry before begin this next step.

Using the pigment ink daub the base right at the edge of the torn paper. The width of the ink strip will be the width of the white caps on the waves.



Dust the ink with embossing powder. Tap off the extra and use a paintbrush to remove any unwanted portions. Use the stick to scrape circular lines in the powder. Heat to set. 

Place the mermaid stencil over the ocean and apply ink.

Dust with embossing powder, heat to set.



To complete my mermaid I used Clearsnap ink and WOW embossing powder. The Sentiment is MME and the sticker is Heidi Swapp. All papers used are Craft Smith.

I can't wait to see this technique showing up on projects!

Be sure to share.

Scrap On!

~charity~

How To Make Epic ATC's With Beautiful and Unique Foiled Paper

Today I am sharing how to make epic ATC's with Foiled Paper that is beautiful and unique. My theme for June's ATC A Day Challenge was Ocean. It quickly deteriorated into a chaos of unrelated ideas. Before it did I made this pair of ATC's with Rinea Foiled Paper accents.

~ Ocean ATC's ~

 Making the Fish ATC was fairly simple. First I punched the center then the opposite corners with detailed designs. I stamped and embossed fish then lined the card with Red Glossy Foiled Paper.

 I used the amazing glue from ScraPerfect to hold the slippery foiled paper onto the cardstock. The No-Clog Writing Cap helped me place very thin lines and dots of the Best Glue Ever exactly where I wanted them.

 The Ocean Waves ATC took several applications of product. First I painted stripes of watercolors onto the cards. Over that I stamped and then embossed layers of waves. The final step was a frame, die cut from Silver Glossy Foiled Paper.

Together, this pair of ATC's show how simple it is to add a bit of glow to any project using Rinea Foiled Paper!

Supplies:

Cardstock:Warehouse Paper Co.
Embossing Powder:Wow Embossing Powder
Ink:Clear Snap
Stamps:Inkadinkado

Punches:Kreaxions
Foiled Paper:Rinea
Watercolors:Close To My Heart

Scrap On!

~charity~

Sparkles on Things and Fairy Wings

Today's project is a Fairy Wing Dispenser.
One of the best things about paper crafting is the ways we find to illustrate our memories. My kids and I have a weakness for vending machines that spit out the latest collectibles in toys and trinkets. We have quite a stash from our visits and keep a quarter jar on hand. This vending machine commemorates those fun times and is for all the little fairies who visit my house.
Free wings for all!

~ Fairy Wings ~

This project evolved slowly. I began with scraps and watched my idea change repeatedly. The wings were my first creation. I used bits from Rosy Diamond Cardstock,  Girl Swirl Glitter Cardstock, Robins Egg Glitter Cardstock, and Moss Green Glitter Cardstock. I stamped and heat embossed the wing onto the cardstock then cut out the shape.

I strung a needle with thin fishing line and used it to tie a loop through a circle of foam adhesive. I stacked a pair of wings with the foam dot between so they could be hung in the dispenser.

I painted the inside of the glass globe white and sprinkled it with green glitter. The outside of the globe I painted with a clear adhesive and sprinkled heavily with blue glitter.

I added trim to the base of the globe and Metallic Gold Dew Drops to the dispenser and to the trim. Because of the varied materials and a need for a very strong bond I used E6000. It takes time to dry but holds well.

I used a tracing book to copy and cut two fairy shapes for the sides of the spout. I traced the shapes onto the Robins Egg Glitter Cardstock, cut them out, then dry embossed the edges with gold. I also stamped and embossed a pattern onto the back of the fairies.

I stamped and embossed a set of wings for each fairy and spread gold sparkle paste on the back of the wings. I attached the fairies to the dispenser with the E6000 adhesive.

The flower clusters on the sides of the dispenser were made from flower punches and Celebration Swirl Glittered Cardstock, Girl Crown Glittered Cardstock, Princess Cardstock, Rosy Diamond Cardstock. I glued Flame Dew Drops to the centers of the flowers.

The swirls were cut with a die from Robin's Egg Glitter Cardstock. I adhered the flowers and swirls to the globe with hot glue.

From the back of the dispenser the gold wings and body patterns of the fairies peek out.

As a final touch I placed a spare set of wings in the spout of the dispenser, as if a fairy child had just used her hard earned coins to win a magical pair of wings!

This sweet little Fairy Wing Dispenser was in great demand from my children. My oldest daughter won the prize. Her little pink Christmas tree looks adorable next to it!

Supplies:

Paper, Dew Drops:Robins Nest
Stamp:Hot Off The Press
Ink:Clear snap
Embossing Powder:Wow Embossing Powder
Trim:Webster's Pages
Glitter:Martha Stewart
Paint:Delta Creative
Adhesive:E6000
Punches:Martha Stewart, EK Success, McGill
Flourish Die:Poppy's Stamps

Scrap On!

~charity~

Squinkie House

Today's project is a re-vamped decor shelf.

My son likes to collect Squinkies and other squishy pencil topper toys. I used my Robin's Nest Paper scraps to give him a fancy place to display his figures. With stencils and a bit of embossing powder this wooden decorator shelf went from bare to bazzinga!!!
Squinkie House

I chose scraps from Pumpkin Glitter Cardstock for the black paper and scraps from Red Rope Glitter Cardstock for the red. I needed just the bare cardstock for this project so I turned the glitter to the back. To begin my project I measured and cut a full set of patterns for the rooms in the house. I numbered them then cut the red and black papers to line the house.

I used a dot runner to stick the squares to my cutting mat so they wouldn't shift during stenciling.

Placing the stencil was tricky. I needed to make sure the seems didn't cut the image in the wrong places. I dabbed the paper through the stencil with pigment ink. I then dusted the red pieces with black embossing powder and the black pieces with white embossing powder.

To get the star-shift look around the Star Wars title I dabbed ink around the embossed letters, dusted it with embossing powder, then used a paint brush to remove excess powder before heating.

To adhere the paper to the back of the shelf I used Super Sticky Tape from American Crafts.

Supplies:
Paper:Robin's Nest
Ink:ClearSnap
Embossing Powder:Wow
Stencils:Funfare

Scrap On!

~charity~

Lego Sorter

Today's project started with a random bead tray.
One of the clear, acrylic type that seem worthless once
the beads are all lost between the floor boards.
I lined it with Kreaxions Glitter Card Paper to become a:
~ Lego Sorter ~

Stop by the Just Imagine Blog for tips and product links,
and for a look at this project, before the Lego's took charge!

Supplies:
Paper:Kreaxions
Pigment Ink:Clear Snap
Stencils:Fun Fare
Embossing Powder:Wow

Scrap On!

~charity~