Metal, Metal Everywhere

This is a tag I made using some more of that metal from Ten Seconds Studio. The big tag is plum and the heart-shaped lock is pearl. The child carrying flowers is by Oxford Impressions, and the paper behind the kid is by Graphic 45. Oh, and the heart-shaped lock is from a Spellbinders die.

I colored the kid and learned that you can use Twinkling H2Os with a blending pen for very pretty pastel coloring. It's not as shiny and twinkly as using a water brush because you're not using as much of the product. However, as I was using fairly glossy paper (semi-gloss?), I didn't want to use a water brush.

Anyway, I thought this was pretty cute.

Cyndi

The pastor of my church has started a discussion time following the worship service. It's a great idea, and it gave me an excuse to make a little note-taking book.

This book is 5" X 5" and incorporates soft colored metal (Periwinkle and Pearl) from Ten Seconds Studio. The trim strip on the left side is made by using a Kabuka mold, and the cross is an embossable die from Spellbinders. The paper is from Stampin' Up's Bella Bleu designer paper pack.

If you have never used the soft metal from Ten Seconds, I'll let you know that I really love it. After embossing, you gently run a sanding block over it, and the silvery metal is revealed only from the raised parts.

Since I've started working some with this metal, I have learned a very important tip. If you can emboss using a die cutting machine (mine's a Big Shot from Sizzix) rather than by hand, use the machine. It's unbelievably simpler than doing it by hand--faster with a perfect impression.

Cyndi

A Golfy Card

So, it's one of my boss's birthday today, and he is an avid golfer. I usually make him a card that uses a picture of a golfer, or a golf bag, or a golf ball. This year I went a bit subtler.

I hate that the background came out so blurry in the scan. I guess that's the price one pays for using the big pop dots. The other thing you can't really see is that the brad has a "K" on it for his last name.

The tree image is a new stamp by Magenta, and is actually just a portion of the image. You can see the whole stamp by clicking here. It's embossed with brown embossing powder and then color was sponged on.

I could explain the background in detail, but Gina K explains it much better than I could in this tutorial. Basically, it's just your reinkers-on-a-moist-towelette technique that some of you may already be proficient in. It's nice because it allowed me to perfectly match the background to the foreground.

Are you planning to address the elephant in the room?

What elephant, Shelby?

The fact that you haven't posted anything since March 20! I'm sure all your blog fans were suffering from withdrawal.

Sorry about that. Life gets in the way, and I forget to blog.

Plus she's been working on her drumming.

That's true! I've been playing with Corky and Shelby in their jazz combo, "Shadows." It's really been a lot of fun, and I'm getting really good.

Don't quit your day job.

At least I have a day job. Somebody's got to support your lifestyle.

Cyndi and Shelby

Faux Flocking by Sanding

My stamp club, River City Stampers, is having a "Demo Day" tomorrow where various die-cutting and embossing-with-die-cutter techniques will be taught. I am actually teaching one of the embossing techniques, but not this one.

This is one I came up with just because I have Cuttlebug on the brain.

Now before everyone leaves comments telling me that this is already a technique that some famous stamping goddess has published and is already all the rage in some stamping circles, I must say that I am quite sure I am not the only person to stumble across this.

Oh, stop being so diplomatic and just get on with it, Cyndi.

Good morning, Shelby! I didn't even know you were awake yet.

The technique . . .

Oh yeah. The cool background piece was made like this: I started with plain old white cardstock and brayered some ink onto it--something purple but lighter than Eggplant. Then I stamped a postage stamp background from River City Rubber Works in Elegant Eggplant ink. Then I ran it through the Big Shot in a Cuttlebug embossing folder. Then (and this is the cool part) I sanded the raised parts, leaving the Cuttlebug design white and really, really soft. In fact it feels JUST LIKE FLOCKING!

I am normally not too impressed with this stuff, but I have to admit the texture on this background is very nice. Wouldn't it be easier, however, to just use pre-printed background paper?

Maybe, but this way I got exactly the color I wanted to use, and I'm not sure the thinner paper would end up being so soft. But maybe it would. Why don't you try that today while I'm at work?

Corky and I are rehearsing and meeting a guy for lunch.

I forgot to alert our readers about this new development. As you may know, Corky and Shelby's band broke up some time ago because . . . well, because the band was not very good.

HEY!

But they have found a new genre. Jazz. It actually sounds way better than the rock cover band ever did. So far it's just Shelby on vocals and Corky on bass.

We're having lunch with a possible percussionist today.

You're adding drums? Won't that be a little overpowering?

Just someone to play a maraca or cymbal--something light and jazzy. And also someone who knows how to speak jazz so he can interpret for us. The only jazz-speak we know is from an old Andy Griffith episode.

Until next time,

Cyndi and Shelby

Anniversary Card for Dennis

My friend Dennis will be married for six years in a couple weeks, and he asked me to make him an anniversary card to give to his wife. I really hope she likes it.

I've been doing some things recently that are French and Marie-Antoinettey, so I started off with by making the big white label shape and embossing it with Swiss dots. In order to make the "Swiss" dots "French" dots, I brayered black ink over top of them. Thanks to Mel McCarthy for this idea!

The owl and the swan are from the new Inkadinkado clear set Patterned Birds and Bugs. I am going to have so much fun with this set! They were embossed, cut out, and colored with Stampin' Up! markers.

Speaking of French things, have you checked out Oxford Impressions new Marie Antoinette plate? Fabulous! I understand Suzanne over at Oxford Impressions is going to be releasing another plate really soon that will complement this plate. I should probably make some of these polka-dotted labels for her!

Cyndi

Well, here it is! This is what Shelby and I came up with for our challenge (see post below). Unfortunately, you can't see the color on two of the hearts, but in real life this is a pretty cool looking piece of art.

What happened to the color in the two dark hearts? This is much prettier in real life.

Well Shelby, it turns out that copper (any metal for that matter) doesn't scan real well.

Why don't you photograph it instead?

I would have done that, but last night when I tried to do so, my camera wouldn't work. I checked the batteries and . . . there were no batteries in the camera. Do you know anything about that?

Oh. I might have needed them for something else.

Okay, so this is how we made the card: Shelby punched the hearts out of the copper, then I ran them through the Big Shot in Cuttlebug embossing folders. I colored them with alcohol ink to get a base coat, and then used StazOn pads to color the embossed parts separately. Then I popped them with Pop Dots onto another sheet of copper which had been run through the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug embossing folder. The sentiment is embossed in white. Finally I folded the corners.

The corner scrunching was my idea.

You, Shelby, are a creative genius.

Cyndi and Shelby

I know, I know, I haven't posted anything in a long time.

I've been dieting and exercising though, and Shelby and I are looking better and better.

Instead of posting something I made, today I'm posting something I found in the Acacia Catalog. It's a piece of metal wall art, that I thought I would use as an inspiration piece.

I tell you what we'll do: I'll make a piece of artwork inspired by this wall art and post it to this blog. If you want to make a piece of artwork inspired by this, post it to your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comment section of my blog. Or, if you don't have a blog and you know me, email me your artwork and I'll be happy to post it on my blog.

I expect great things from my friend Becky who has recently purchased metal and tools from Ten Seconds Studio.

Cyndi