The Paper Funday Maiko

 

     Welcome to this month's project for The Paper Funday, a digi stamp from StarStampz called Maiko In Spring. 

     

     I printed the stamp twice on smooth card, I should have payed more attention to the size as the finished card ended up being A5, so that's by hand delivery on that one!

     I cut out one Maiko ans set her aside while I coloured the background piece. Using a sponge and some Distress Inks I added blue and greens to the card, a colour wash would have buckled the card so it had to be something dryer.

    

    As the edges of the Maiko might be visible I coloured her with the same alcohol pen I was going to use on the top image, but only arouns the outside edges. I coloured the cutout Maiko and added a few touches of silver to her kimono, which sadly don't show up in the photograph.

  To add some texture and make the tree more interesting I dug out my stash of Flowersoft. Using tiny dabs of PVA i aimed for where I thought the flowers might be.

     Once the glue was dry I tapped off any excess Flowersoft and mounted the background on to some dusky mauve card, then on to a thin layer of dark blue. I was going to put this on to a white card blank but the white blank took away from the image so I chose to use a piece of dusky blue card to make a card blank.

     The Maiko cutout was then mounted on foam before going onto the background, like this she now stood out from the blossom on the tree.

     The card looked a little empty around the edges so I added a knot made with Mizuhiki cord to lift it slightly.

The Paper Funday is an Anything Goes with paper challenge, it also has an optional twist, so please pop along and join us with your papercraft project.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Crafting Happiness - #145 Anything Goes

Creative Fingers - #259 Anything Goes

Gem Of A Challenge - Wk15 Anything Goes

Happy New Year

     Another card made with a die from John Next Door's new Art Deco collection, Kramer. The sentiment on this one makes it perfect to use in wishing you all a Happy Crafting New Year, let's hope we can return to workshops and shows soon.

     Using thick black card I cut the screen using John's latest Lantern die, I think it makes a great screen card because the feet just look right for it.

     With the Kramer die I cut two panels in the same black card and trimmed them down to fit the screen panels.

     To back these patterned panels I used a piece of thin card that had been covered with a d/s sticky sheet and then covered with guilding flakes. I've had these flakes for years, they're gorgeous but I can't 'save' everything.....it's time to use them.

    

     For the centre panel I wanted to add my sentiment but plain cream card looked wrong, so out came the Distress Ink and a blending brush. Using the die as a stencil I coloured the cream card with the same pattern as the panels but left it pale enough to see the stamping.

     I cut the cream card panel to be the same size as the others and stuck it on the screen card.

     The card looked good but not quite right, it was missing a focal point on the front. I searched through all my Mizuhiki cords to find colours that would go with the guilding flakes, stand out, but not too much. Finally settling on a mix of green, teal and copper, which can all be found in the flakes.

     The knots are simple but effective on oriental cards, adding a small touch of authenticity. 

     I hope next year sees us all return to sharing ideas and techniques in person, Happy New Year.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Creative Creases - #22 Use A Fun Fold

Time Out - #204 New

Modsquad - New.....include something new

Cherry Blossom Light Box

 

     The new Art Deco dies from John Next Door made me think of oriental style projects. Rather than a card I decided to make a box scene with internal lighting.

     To begin with I die cut a box shape in dark brown pearl card, twice, one for the bottom and one for the lid.

     Using the Cassandre die I cut the lid, this gave me a perfectly sized hole to drop a gold die cut of Cassandre into and a brown version to trim up and glue along the outside edges of the lid.

     To keep the gold die cut in place I attached some thick acetate to the inside of the lid opening and glued the gold die cut on to it.

     To create a mid depth layer I used the same box die, cut one layer in kraft card and then trimmed the sides down to half the depth of the main box. In hindsight this could have been a little shallower as the image at the back of the box didn't show as well as I had hoped.

     In the centre of the kraft layer I die cut the trees from another of JND's die sets, Four Seasons and attached some pink flowers o look like cherry blossom. Each flower is shaped and has some yellow pollen like flock in the middle.

     At the back of the box I used a white card layer with an oriental style peel off stuck to it, this layer was glued flat inside the box back. 

     To create a misty effect I used a sheet of vellum glued at the back of the trees, this would allow the lights to shine through and the black on white image to be seen.

     Before assembling the kraft layer I used a hole punch on the corner of the panel to thread the lights through, there was also a hole punched in the back of the brown box for the lights to pass through from behind.

     

     The kraft layer was assembled and the lights run around the outside edge and fixed in place. I put the kraft layer in the box back and then glued the box corners together, this made sure the kraft layer would fit inside and gave a tight fit so it wouldn't shift about in transit.

     There were half the lights left to be attached around the inside of the box on the top layer, these were fixed in place too. 

     Fixing the lights is not as fiddly as it sounds, as long as you remember to thread them through from the back of the box, that way the battery pack will stay on the outside. For this box I used some redline tape to secure the battery pack so it was easy to use and would stay in place. It is possible to change the batteries once they go flat so you can keep your scene for a long time.

     To get the box to stand up I cut a stand from the same brown card as the box and glued it in place.

     To finish the box I put the lid over the back and glued the corner flaps together to create a tight fit. With the battery pack outside the box there should be no need to take the lid off, but it will come off if necessary.

     Using kraft card and the Twigs die I cut two twigs and covered them with the same flowers as used inside. To hide the join in the twigs I made a small knot using Japanese Mizuhiki cord in shades of pink and hot glued it in place.

       

Materials used 

PCD224 - Cassadre die set

JND194 - Four Seasons die set

JND187 - Twigs die set

JND174 - Small Flower plate

S57320 - Thick Acetate

S57262 - 3D PVA glue

S57085 - Ultra Clear Tape 6mm  (Redline)

   Other items from stash

       

I would like to enter this project in the following challenges:

Creative Fingers - #210 Anything Goes

Love To Craft - #59 Anything Goes

Crafty Catz - #555 Anything Goes/Option - Make A Scene    (Top 3)

Through The Craft Room Door - Anything Goes 8th June

Let's Create and Craft - #172 Anything Goes/Option Add Buttons

Happy Little Stampers - Anything Goes with Dies ~ June

Creative Craft Cottage - #141 Eileen's Anything Goes

A Perfect Time To Craft - #6 Anything Goes     (First)

Mizuhiki Reindeer

     Welcome to a new challenge for CraftyHazelnut's Patterned Paper Challenge, it just had to be a Christmas card today didn't it. Our challenege is for anything made with patterned paper so you don't have to make a card to join in, it could be a gift bag, box or decoration.
     This red nosed reindeer is made from Mizuhiki cord, which is Japanese paper cord, it's thin so easily knotted as long as you don't get a kink in it. This is a traditional knot with a twist, the ends are curled to form antlers and the bottom loop is opened up to form his face. With the addition of a small red pompom and a couple of woggly eyes he is complete.
     He is mounted on a matt gold layer with corner detail over e red layer before going on to a holly print backing paper. The holly print is on another layer of matt gold before going on a green card blank. The greeting is a small peel off on red card mounted on foam pads.
     Come and join us with your patterned paper creations, the challenge runs all month and we'd love to see what you make.
     Here's a little note about Mizuhiki cord....
Mizuhiki plays an important role in Japanese culture as a symbol of affection, warmth, and togetherness. Made from washi, or Japanese paper, Mizuhiki is a colorful twine that is tied in knots to decorate gifts.

I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Christmas Card Challenge - Anything Goes
The Crafty Addicts - Anything Goes (optional Christmas paper)

Technique Time Tuesday CASE

      This is a CASE card from Technique Time Tuesday's current challenge. I'm hostess this month with the Faux Silk technique, there is a video tutorial on TTT to show you how we've done it.
     I have chosen a card by a very talented lady named Kimbo to CASE. There are some really great cards entered this month but Kimbo's caught my eye because of the oriental theme and the fact that she had heat embossed tissue paper.
     I chose green tissue to emboss with bamboo leaves, then I crumpled it up and opened it out again. To my surprise non of the embossing cracked at all, maybe it's the Cosmic Shimmer powder that's the secret, I'll have to experiment further. Once opened out the tissue is stuck on to white card but not smoothed out completely, some of the wrinkles must stay to imitate silk.
     The image panel is stamped in Archival Olive Green on cream card, it's an old PSX stamp of my Mum's. Both image and background panels have been mounted on black before being put on a pale green water stamped card.
     The coin is a gift from a fellow DT member, thanks Karen, with a few Mizuhiki cords knotted through it. There is also a Mizuhiki knot at the bottom. Karen of Stamping In Pink has been campaigning to bring back the oriental style, I've been trying to help because I love it's simplicity and style. I think with the launch of some new oriental stamps by Sheena Douglass that we may be on to a winner!

     Please pop over to TTT and take a look at the DT cards and challenge entries, there is still one week left to join us.

Scrap-Magic Kimono

    I have a love of most things Oriental so joining forces with Karen from Stamping In Pink to try and bring it back to card making is no chore at all. We have been swapping stash and inspiring each other to bring it all out and use it.
    I have made a card very much like this one before, I loved it so much I had to do it again. The Kimono was made using a Scrap-Magic template by Nellie Snellen and some origami paper. I cut out all the pieces and stuck them on to light blue card. The Kimono is mounted, using foam pads, on to a piece of paper printed from Joanna Sheen's Oriental Dreams CD.
    There is a small Plum Blossom knot made using Mizuhiki cord attached to the Kimono. This cord is made from paper but is extremely strong and completely archive safe. It comes in long lengths and is available in many colours, there are some books available on how to tie the knots as well as some information on the web.
    The patterned paper is layered up with gold and light blue before being stuck on to a darker blue card, the small gold corners are peel offs. The long cord with tassells has been tied around the front of the card near the spine.
    I shall be making some more oriental style cards, some with a male feel to them because there is a new challenge site going live on the 31st July that is male cards only called The Male Room, the first challenge is 'Anything Goes'.
    If you would like to join Karen and myself  in trying to use up your oriental stash please leave us a comment with a link, we'd love to come over and see what you've made.

Oriental Shimmer

     Two posts in one day...What's going on?  I really want to enter this card in a challenge that closes tomorrow while I'm demonstrating at Snetterton Park in Norfolk. We're beside the A11, next door to the race circuit, so if you're out that way please call in and say hello. There will be three of us all working away at different techniques from stamping to polymer clay.
     This card is inspired by my favourite technique, water stamping, and a little light hearted challenge between myself and Karen of Stamping In Pink to revive the Oriental theme. We both have plenty of stash in this style, which we recently shared - thanks Karen, giving us both a desire to make oriental cards again. Join us on Sunday at 5pm to see another oriental card, if you'd like to join in then please leave us a comment with a link so we can visit you. There is NO prize involved, it's just for fun.
    This card was made by colouring white card with Distress Inks Squeezed Lemonade, Scattered Straw, Mowed Lawn and Forest Moss. Then I used a bamboo stamp that I have had for some time but never used. I spritzed the stamp with water and stamped onto the card, then I mopped up the water with a kitchen towel. This was repeated across the card almost to the right hand edge where I used an oriental script stamp.

    Before the ink dried I spread Cosmic Shimmer Mica Powder Enchanted Gold over the entire card and brushed off the excess. The powder only sticks to the wet ink and not the dried off water stamping, this is my twist for The Technique Twist challenge. There is no need to seal this as the powders have a binding agent in them activated by moisture but if you feel happier doing so I would recommend hairspray.
    Once this was completely dry I stamped and embossed in gold a small phrase in the top right hand corner, placed a delicate black paper cut of a lady given to me by Karen and finished it off with a Mizuhiki cord knot. I have layered the image up with dark green and light green before mounting on to a black card blank.

    I would like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Make My Monday - A Non-Inked Stamp

The Technique Twist - Water Stamping

Don't forget, if you'd like to see more oriental cards then pop back on Sunday afternoon.

Ink-spring-ational blossom

     This weeks challenge over at Inkspirational is a photo of some beautiful pink blossom. I'm not a pink person but that blossom is just SO pretty I had to try and make something nice and pink.
    My first thought was to use this cherry blossom stamp from Lakeland, bought many years ago, and some flowersoft that's been lurking in my cupboard for ages.
    The blossom is stamped in Archival Ink Coffee and clear embossed. I then coloured in all the blossom with a Sakura Stardust pink pen so it would still look pink under the flowersoft.

    After sprinkling on the flowersoft and while the glue was still wet I sprinkled some fine pink glitter to give a little sparkle. The picture is matted on pale pink pearl card and then cerise pink pearl card before being mounted on what was a plain white card blank. The card blank has been stamped with a flower stamp and Perfect Medium and then chalked with pink shimmer chalk.
    The little knot is made with Mizuhiki cord in shades of pink. This cord is amazing to work with, it's made from a type of paper that is twisted and starched to make it strong, it's also archive safe. This knot is called a Plum Flower Knot and symbolises beauty, nobility and courage.
    The oriental style writing on the side is stamped in Brilliance Pearlised Orchid using a stamp I've had so long I can't remember where it came from but it is a firm favourite, I just hope it says something nice!