Christmas Present

Sometimes you don't truly get to know someone until you've lived with them for a time. I have been blessed in my life to, not only grow up with a . . . uh . . . an "interesting" sister, but to have her invade--no, "share living space" with me as an adult as well. I give Shelby a hard time, but we have truly grown closer this past year.

So in the spirit of extreme sisterhood, Shelby and I decided to get each other one combined present that we can both use. Something that will greatly enhance both our lives (I'm so glad she finally embraced stamping). I'm not going to say what we bought each other, but it rhymes with "toe-pick barkers."

Cyndi, you opened them!

Maybe.

Did you make that card with them?

Maybe.

It's only December 20! I can't believe you couldn't wait five days! I'll meet you in the stamp room in 10 minutes.

Later,

Cyndi and Shelby

P.S. Stamp Credit: Impression Obsession

Shelby Stamps

That's right, boys and girls, I am a stamper now. I stamped this card all by myself with absolutely no help from my sister Cyndi. Okay, I did use her paper . . . and her stamps . . . and her gold paint pen . . . and her nailhead stickers . . . but the work is all mine.

And it's a good thing I did it, too, because this card is representative of 18 cards (three sets of six) that had to be made rather quickly. A friend ordered them from Cyndi as Christmas presents, but Cyndi hasn't had any stamping mojo since she got back from her cruise.

Hey, I was just thinking about making those monogram cards.

Yes, but these were ordered for Christmas 2009, so I thought I'd better lend a hand.


Okay, this is a shot of all the cards that are monogrammed with an S. I made S's, B's, and D's.

Shelby, I like how each set of notes is an assortment. I don't think I would have thought of that. Now each recipient can enjoy three different looks.

And what do you think about the new look of the blog?

Holy cow! You've been busy, Shelby.

Well, somebody had to do something. Do you realize we hadn't posted anything since September!

These are the cards in these great clear boxes that I found in the stamp room. Notice how the monogram on the band lines up with the monogram on the card? Pretty good, huh.

Hey, who gave you permission to use those boxes? I was saving them for a special project.

Those boxes are great! They're absolutely necessary when you're giving cards as a gift. Where'd you get them?

I got them from PaperTreyInk. And you can use the link, Shelby, to buy me some more boxes.

Until next time,

Shelby and Cyndi

Metal Collage--Impressive

Picture this: I'm in my studio and I want to make a card for our mom because her birthday is coming up. I decide to make something awesome out of the new metal I got from Ten Seconds Studio. And I can't find the metal. Which is really strange because I just got it in the mail last week. Let me clarify. I find small pieces of the metal, but not the nice sheets of metal. What's going on???!!! It's causing me to over-punctuate!!!

I have to confess, I used your metal.

Shelby, that was a LOT of metal. What the h**l did you do with it?

We were out of aluminim foil, and I had to take some food to a shut-in. The good news is, it made a lovely presentation of my food. You should get us some more of that.

Never, NEVER use my pretty Ten Seconds metal for food again, because: 1) It costs way more than aluminum foil and should not be wasted on food; 2) I don't even know if it's non-toxic for food usage; and 3) it's MINE. There have to be some boundaries, Shelby. I'm so mad . . . I banish you from the blog for the rest of this episode. Oh, and 4) being hung over does not make someone a "shut-in."

Wait a . . .

No, you are out of here.

So anyway, I had these scraps of metal. What would happen, I thought to myself, if I put these scraps together in a collage? Can I come up with enough metal to cover the Big Daddy Mold No. 4 (also by Ten Seconds Studio and shown here).

So I cut some shapes and even got out my punches and cutting dies. I cut out three red hearts, two big red leaves, and three "Brrrr blue" birds.

What is "Brrrr blue"?

It's a fun name for a color of metal. Go away, Shelby! You're being punished.

I also punched out some oval shapes. When my collage looked the way I wanted it, I ran it and the mold through my Big Shot, and sanded the color off the metal. The metal stuck together beautifully during the sanding, even though I didn't use the best adhesive (I just used my tape gun).

I am pretty pleased with the way it turned out, and I hope my mom likes her card/fabulous artwork.

Until next time,

Cyndi

Encaustic Art with Artistic Outpost

Do you love this or what? The stamp is from a new plate by Artistic Outpost, and the coloring technique is encaustic wax painting. I love to stamp, and I love to play with encaustic wax, but I don't usually do them at the same time. However, this stamp looked like it was going to lend itself perfectly to a little encaustic action.

First I stamped the image with Tuxedo Black Memento ink (I love this ink, by the way) onto glossy white cardstock. After heat setting the ink, I applied the sky and the ground with an encaustic painting iron, then I stippled yellow, green, and red wax onto the tree with a wire brush head attached to an detail stylus. These tools can be found here if you are interested. Also, if you are interested in this technique, check out John Vandebrooke's website. His tutorials are wonderful, and his demeanor makes you want to invite him to a dinner party.

So you basically "ironed" colored wax on top of the stamped image, is that right?

Correct, Shelby. I put colored wax all over the iron and smoothed the wax on.

How come the house is still white? Did you use one of your fancy "resist techniques"?

No. I just scraped the wax off the house with my fingernail. (But good for you for paying attention when I talk about "resist" techniques.) Then I drew the birds in with wax using the detail stylus with a drawing tip.

Okay, enough about you and your wax. There are people who tune into this blog to hear about me.

How's that project going?

The project you assigned me so I could work on my stamping technique?

Yeah.

I have finished the long and boring assignment, and I will never believe that you let me do it for you just so I could work on my technique. I know you were just using me for grunt work. People, she had me stamp 125, yes 125, Christmas card insides.

Wow! That turned out great, Shelby!

It's a verse and a flower thing in the corner. The art world is all a-buzz.

No, seriously. It turned out way better than I thought it would. I can't believe how straight you stamped the verse.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

Then you, my favorite sister, are at least half way to being a rubber stamp artist. You would not believe how many of my experienced stamping friends never use that fabulous tool. But you have already learned the value of the stamp placement device. You need never suffer the despair of having an inked image appear anywhere except where you want it. You are the master of your stamping destiny.

Great, can I make a card front now?

Well, I'm not sure you're quite ready for that yet. Maybe if you stamp the 125 matching envelopes . . .

Cyndi and Shelby

House of Dreams (and a Dream Job for Shelby)

Look at this house and tell me that's not the cutest house ever! You wouldn't believe it but the plain paper mache house sat in my stamp room for months without creating inspiration. Then one day I got out my light green metallic paint, and this lovely version was completed within days.

Every light green metalic painted house I've ever seen has had that exact same effect on me.

Hey Shelby! What do you think of the house now that it's done?

It's whimsical, alright. What's with the little red tiles?

Glad you asked. As everyone may know, I am totally addicted to the little pearl stickers and the nailhead stickers. Well, when I was at Archivers last weekend I found these mosaic tiles and fell in love with them. I bricked the "walk" around the house and the chimney.

What's going on here (see picture above)?

Here you can see the wisteria on the side of the house and the ornamental iron door. Actually that's not the best photo of the door because there's too much detail of the copper fireplace inside. The top picture shows the door better. It was created in a very complicated process using black wire and a wire jig. The green wire wisteria vine actually helps to hold the whole think together.

How did you make the wisteria?

With flower soft. The window treatment is just a little piece I embossed and cut out using Ten Seconds Studio's Big Daddy #4 mold.

Okay, here's the detail of the roof from the front. I embossed metal using Ten Seconds Studio's Kabuka #2 embossing plate and the trim is Dresden foil that I got from Rock Candy Studios.

This is the roof at the back of the house.

Look! I even did the inside of the house. Note the copper fireplace. When the roof is back on the house, there is a red tile brick chimney that fits on top of the fireplace, but since it's attached to the roof part of the house box, you can only see it when you have the roof on and you look through the windows.

Or the door?

Correct. I made some really cute baseboard and chair rail out of tiny strips of white chipboard. The floor is just a piece of caramel cardstock with lines and dots drawn on it and then distressed with ink.

I see lines in the floor, but I don't see any dots.

Well, in real life, I added two "nails" on either side of where the planks join together.

That's a lot of detail.

Well I don't want my imaginary floor to come up.

This house looks better than the room you gave me to live in. I don't get the ornamental iron door. What's it protecting? Are tiny men going to break in and steal the firewood? There's nothing in this house.

Which is why it looks a lot neater than your overcrowded room.

Onto another topic, I need you to teach me how to stamp because . . . drumroll please . . . I have a new job!

Woohooo!!! Shelby that's fabulous! What are you going to be doing?

You are going to be so jealous. I got a job at Archivers scrapbook store.

NO, YOU DID NOT! I am so freaking jealous!

They needed someone to help customers in the store and teach stamping classes.

You don't stamp, Shelby. Why would they hire you to teach stamping?

They asked me if I knew how to stamp and I said, "I have thousands of stamps at home, and believe me, they are well used." So anyway . . . could you teach me?

Until next time,

Cyndi and Shelby

Sympathy Card

Well, now that I have a giant card rack up at church all the time, I am feeling the pressure to actually put cards in it.

So this morning I got up an hour early so that I would be able to make a few sympathy cards before work. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, but it was going to have to be quick and easy. Unlike some people, I try to be on time for work.

I know, I know. Can you believe they fired me the other day for coming in late?

Yes, Shelby, I can. You were almost two hours late. Waitresses cannot show up for the lunch rush at almost 1 p.m. But back to my story . . .

I sat down to peruse my latest Catch-Up issue of the Stampers Sampler . . .

The one you keep in the bathroom?

That's the one. I found the perfect card to CASE. It's on page 108 if anyone has her copy close by. I studied it really close, read the description to make sure it didn't have a tricky technique that would take me more than an hour to replicate. Then I happened to look at who the artist was who made it. The card was made by Shelly Hickox!!!

Your friend who lives in the country and doesn't throw anything away?

If I could make art out of refuse, I wouldn't throw anything away either. Anyhow, I just thought it was cool that out of a magazine full of stamped cards from the US and abroad, I would pick out my friend's card to CASE. Anyway the birds are by Penny Black, the words (both English and French) are by Stampin' Up!

I stamped the coordinating envelopes so she wouldn't be late.

Until next time,

Cyndi and Shelby

Faux Dry Embossing

That's so strange. I just found this card by the computer, which was apparently going to be uploaded today, but I guess Cyndi didn't have time to scan it this morning. The weird thing about this card is that the embossed medallion isn't really embossed. I know this for a fact, because I touched it and was surprised that it is as smooth and flat as Oklahoma. Click on the picture so you can see it real good. You won't believe it!

Shelby, what are you doing with (1) my card and (2) my computer? And when did you start uploading stuff on your own?

Well, you're at work, so I assumed you weren't going to get this done today. I was just being helpful. I have to leave for work in a few minutes, so why don't you quickly tell us all how come that center medallion looks embossed, but it's not.

I guess you're talking about the red part and not the silver brad and it's cute filigree enhancement.

Naturally.

Let me start by telling you that this card was made for yesterday's Splitcoaststampers challenge where everyone was invited to scope out Christy S's gallery, pick a card we liked and change a few things. I picked out this card, which is fabulous, and since I just received the Stampin' Up! Circle Circus stamps, I CASED it.

The medallion is made using a technique called Faux Dry Embossing. First I stamped the image in white craft (pigment) ink, and then, using my Stamp-a-ma-jig, I moved the image over just slightly and stamped it in Rose Red, the same color as the cardstock. Actually, I discovered that it works better when I stamped it twice in Rose Red, holding the Stamp-a-ma-jig in the same place both times. It covered the white better.

Thanks for the explanation. I'm late for work now. I just took a new job as a waitress, and I'm pulling a lunch shift today.

Lunch shift! It's 12:40!

I know, I said I was late.

Until next time,

Shelby and Cyndi