Altered Playing Cards Week 16

Hi everyone! Can you believe that this is the last day of the year or that we are already in week 16 for the altered card challenge. This week there did not appear to be a theme but I did use Claudine's technique even though I had to improvise once again. Of course like usual I also put my own spin on things.

Claudine used Tim Holtz tissue but I don't have any so I used wrapping tissue paper and Ranger Archive black ink which is waterproof with background stamps.

For this card I painted my gessoed card with metallic turquoise and metallic copper paint to give it the look of old metal.. I used a checkerboard stamp I bought at a thrift store for this card. When the card was dry I took my stamped tissue paper crumpled it and then glued it down. When the glue was dry I took gel walnut stain and rubbed over it  with that and then with a paper towel dabbed some of the stain up. The sentiment was done with my Brother's label maker. I like using the clear tape.

The flower was the fun part of this project. It was an experiment in making my own paper clay from clean toilet paper.  I cut my petals out of card stock and then put the paper clay over the card stock covering it and shaping as I went. I made the three balls for the center. When the paper clay was dry I used my airbrush to color my flower and glued the balls in the center. I used a foam adhesive square on the back of the smaller petal to give the flower a little bit of dimension. Then I took a scrap of green ribbon to make my stem and a leaf.

This was a fun card to do and now I know that Ranger's Archival ink will work with my gel stain as well as glaze paints. :-)

For this card I painted turquoise metalic paint on it. Even with the sequin tissue paper on it was still really bright. I stamped with my music background stamp and once again did what I did on the first card. When the glue was dry I took Powder Blue Paint and mixed it with  glaze medium. This gives color but still allows the paint to have some transparency depending on how much glaze you mix in.

The image I found on the internet when I put a search in for free New Year's clipart. After I printed and my machine cut it out I used Dimensional Magic for my bubbles. Glossy Accent would work also but Dimensional Magic just happens to be what I have.

Once again the sentiment was done with the label maker. This time I printed it with the letters vertical and overlapped the two labels.

There you have my two altered playing cards for this week. If you would like to try to make your own paper clay it is really easy.  This is a good way to play with clay without investing a lot of money. I used Mod Podge in mine but you can use regular white glue if you wish:

10 sheets double play toilet tissue paper shredded

1 Tablespoon of collage adhesive

1/4 cup of water

Put all ingredients in a ziplock bag  close it and knead. until you have a smooth consistency. Open the bag a little bit and squeeze excess water out. Store the clay in the bag between uses. This clay can be painted, colored with markers, sprayed with color mist, etc. You could even replace some of the water with food coloring.

This is all I have for this year. Wishing you a Happy New Year and Frugal Crafting till we meet again. I plan to do some tutorials and other fun things in 2015. See you then!

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Altered Playing Cards Week 15

Hi everyone I hope if you celebrate Christmas that you had a good one. Luckily when I moved I kept my cell phone number as I received a phone call from a brother I had lost contact with. That made my Christmas. As well as the fact that my oldest granddaughter loved her gift of colored pencils and sketching pencils. The youngest immediately opened her gift and started coloring and adding stickers where they belonged.

We are now on week 15. There didn't really appear to be a theme but the technique was using stencils with embossing paste. I don't have any embossing paste and was too lazy to make my own with flour and glue. Instead I experimented with coloring "moulding paste" which normally dries clear. When I bought the moulding paste I was trying to fill out an order so I would not have to pay postage. I was looking for embossing paste but the "moulding paste" was cheaper and the manufacture said it could be used for transfer. I wasn't able to use it successfully for transfers but have been having fun experimenting.

Here are Claudine's cards. I just love that carrot.

When I saw the angel with the heart  on Claudine's card I thought of the fact that it would have been my anniversary on Monday. So I made my card with a stamp I must confess which I have never used in memory of the incredible love which I shared with Bill..

I wanted to stencil gold hearts but alas Metallic Mixative did not dry gold. However because of the light color the alcohol ink from my markers when I airbrushed colored them some. After the "moulding paste" dried I used a stamp with Stazon ink on the large hearts.  For the smaller hearts I used a Glaze pen to make random dots.I also used a Glaze pen to draw around the stenciled hearts.

I heat embossed my heart with wings using Lilac Vintage embossing powder. Then colored the heart with a Spectrum, Noir marker. Although I used glitter glue on the wings they didn't really end up being that glittery. I folded the wings up so it would look like the heart was flying to heaven. 

Like always it is a learning experience. I wanted to stamp my sentiment on ribbon but didn't have the color of ribbon I wanted. I discovered that I needed to color the ribbon first with the airbrush and then stamp.This is the back side of the ribbon and I loved the uncolored border so decided to use that side.

I decided to mix black acrylic paint in the "moulding paste" to color it.  I stenciled over a gesso card but since I had left over paste I decided to stencil over a card back which had not been prepped.

When the paste was dried I airbrushed with my eBrush and Spectrum Noir markers. I love how although there is color the blue background shows through. I  accidentally used my white Glaze pen on the squares  thinking it was my gelly pen but it dried clear. I then took my gelly pen and drew around the circles.

The bullfrog is ancient. It was one of the first stamps I bought and the copyright is 1983. Alas he has been sitting on the shelf gathering dust. When I was trying to decide what to use for this card I saw him and decided to use him. He is heat embossed with some green glitter embossing powder which was given to me. Then colored with Spectrum Noir markers. I used Dimensional Magic on the eyes. He is pop dotted on the card.

I decided to print my sentiment with my Brother Label Marker using clear tape. I went through different ideas of what to put the label on and finally went with a sheer ribbon. 

My goal this year has been to use stamps that I haven't used for awhile as well as other supplies which I have not used a lot. Both of these cards meet that goal with the stamps used and the ribbon. My other goal has been to experiment and that goal was also met. :-)

Do you make any crafting goals? If you don't are you going to make some for 2015?

Thank you for stopping by during this busy time of the year. Although I don't know what I'm going to be doing next do come back. Wishing you a Happy New Year and Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!

Altered Playing Cards Week 14

Hi everyone! I can not believe that we are already halfway through altering our deck of cards. As always you can jump in anytime. Click on the icon on the right for details.

Last week the theme was reindeer and I just happened to have a couple of reindeer stamps. :-) I had forgotten how much fun it was to heat emboss as well as cut stamped images out by hand. However, now I need to ask Santa for a pair of small scissors. Don't worry Cameron my trusty cutting machine you are not being replaced.

Here are Claudine's cards:

This was a really fun challenge but I must confess that I spent more time on my altered playing cards than I did on most of the Christmas cards I made. However, now I have some ideas for cards for next year. :-)

I started out by experimenting with my background. Since I had not prepped all my cards with gesso yet I went ahead and sprinkled Martha Stewart Coarse Crystal glitter in my wet gesso. When the gesso was dry I went then and used my airbrush with a blue marker. I was afraid it was going to change the color of the glitter but it did not.

Then I took a snowflake stamp and one with swirling snow and stamped with blue pigment ink.  I figured I might not get crisp images but figured since it was snow it was all right. 

Then I stamped my images on scrap card stock. I have lots of white scraps from doing print and cut as well as cutting out card bases. Rudolph was a stamp I picked up this year at a thrift store for under a dollar. At the time I didn't know what I was going to do. I heat embossed with copped embossing powder. Colore with Spectrum Noir markers and tied crotchet thread in a bow around his neck.  The tree and sentiment came in a package of G studio stamps which were under a dollar. I heat embossed the tree but the glitter embossing powder was too transparent so I didn't get the sparkle with the garland like I had wanted. I colored the tree and used a gold Sharpie on the star and the bronze one on the trunk. I used a hot pink glaze pen on the garland. Because of the black ink I had stamped with it became a dark purple. I then stamped and heat embossed the sentiment. I won't tell you how long I've had this silver embossing powder but the store has not been in business for several years.  Then I cut my sentiment out also. The tree and reindeer are pop dotted. I used the same blue ink as I used for the snowflakes around the edges.

Claudine used a die along with a matching stamp on her card. Since I don't have a die with matching stamp I had to improvise. I first stamped with blue pigment ink my snow swirl and heat embossed with Winter Wonderland embossing powder. Then I ran my cardstock through my embossing machine using a Darice embossing folder I bought this fall.

A good friend sent me a few years back a set of stamps with the reindeer. I heat embossed with copper embossing powder but decided to not color.  He is pop dotted on the card. Did I mention that I own stock in the company that makes those foam dots. Lol!

The Merry Christmas is a stamp I've had for awhile. I stamped once again with blue and the Winter Wonderland. I colored and cut it out. Alas my blue marker is brand new and was really juicy so it bled some on the Christmas. I cut the sentiment out free style.

I took a scrap of copy paper and tore it and then used my air brush with markers. I used a scrap from cutting out a scalloped shape to get my snow drifts.

Talk about being frugal both cards were made using scraps I love it when I can use some of my scraps up. Do you save scraps to use in your crafting?

Today started a new challenge using embossing paste. I'm hoping I'll be able to get my cards done this week. I still don't have my energy back but I am feeling better. I hope that everyone reading this is staying healthy. There are some nasty bugs out this year. :-(

Wishing you Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!

Altered Playing Cards Week 13

Hi everyone! I'm a week behind on the altered playing card challenge. Last week the theme was bees. Here are Claudine's cards.

Here is my take on the challenge:

I tried to duplicate Claudine's background but it ended up being a disaster. I mixed orange and yellow metallic paint trying to get an orange yellow color. I didn't like it on my card so I went over while it was still wet with copper. I got the copper too thick and used a cosmetic sponge to wipe some of it off and then added some yellow. I discovered because the paint is so thick I could create a texture using the cosmetic sponge. When that paint was dry I took and rounded an old cosmetic spoinge and used that to randomly dab on Walnut gel stain.

My bee didn't turn out like I had planned but I decided to use it anyway.The bee printed out really light so I used my Glaze pens. I wasn't thinking when I put Dimensional Magic over it about copy paper curling. Opps! When some of the Dimensional Magic got on the other side I noticed that it made the paper translucent so after the front dried I went ahead and put some Dimensional Magic on the backside. At least now I know that Dimensional Magic will work over Glaze pens.

The sentiment is actually done on a scrap of pattern paper left over from making an envelope. I edged the paper with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. Alas my alphabet stamps were too large for stamping my sentiment and I could not find any suitable stamps. I used my Brother's label maker.

My honeycomb was actually a stamp cutting file from Silhouette.  I colored it with my airbrush and a marker.

The background on this card was fun to do. I used a stencil and gesso on my card first. Then airbrushed with a brown marker. Then placed a stencil and airbrushed with a maize marker. Then randomly used the airbrush with a blender marker. I used a marker to trace around only the hexagons in the stencil.

I don't remember where I got this cute bee at. which I turned it into a print and cut. Alas the antennas did not cut out right. After two tries of trying to cut him out I gave up and glued scrap floss. I edged him with Vintage Photo Distress Ink my go to ink.

The sentiment is stamped on the same pattern paper as in the first card.  This time I only inked the torn side with the Vintage Photo Distress ink. I found a cute set of alphabet stamps at WalMart for under $2, I noticed they had other fonts so I just may need to treat myself. My sentiment was stamped using Vintage Photo Distress ink. As I said this is my go to ink. It is the one ink that gets used the most. I need more practice stamping words as far as spacing goes but on the whole I'm pleased the way it turned out.

I started work on this week's cards and the theme is reindeer. I don't have the dies or stamps that Claudine's has but will at least adhere to the theme as I do have a couple of reindeer stamps. Hopefully I can get the cards done tomorrow as Monday there will be a new challenge.

Wishing you Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!

SVG Cuts Snowflakes

Hi everyone! Can you believe that it is almost Christmas. My cards are mailed and I have almost all of my shopping done. Alas I did not get as much outdoor decorating done as I wanted before the contest ended because I've been sick for two weeks now.Oh well making a wire lighted snowman will have to wait until next year. I did however hang in the side window a bunch of snowflakes on a string.

SVG Cuts has this free snowflake file and when I saw it knew I wanted to use it for ornaments. I don't have silver cardstock so I used my eBrush and a metallic marker for the solid piece. For the lacy top I painted glitter glue on it but alas the camera did not pick up the sparkle. I pop dotted the top snowflake on the base.  I also used clear zots to attach some snowflakes on the glass door around the wreath that I made. Alas I could not get any good pictures of the wreath as I kept getting reflections. The wreath has an old CD in the middle  which I used alphabet stickers on to say Merry Christmas. You can't see the greeting in the dark but anyone walking by during the day can see that and the snowflakes. Perhaps I will go out and take a nighttime shot of the lights and wreath all lit up.

That is all for now folks. I am off to do last week altered cards and then hopefully I'll get this week's done before Monday starts another challenge. Wishing you Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!

Standup Snowflake Card

Hi everyone it has been lightly snowing all day. I don't know if my making a cutting file and this card had anything to do with it. Lol! I don't do a lot of designing in Studio creating cutting files. Especially if they are something a little complicated. However, I saw place cards with shapes up on top and decided to see what I could do. The person put the open panel in back but I decided to use it as the front. You know me I have to be different as well as try new things. Once again this was a learning experience and I'll do a few things differently the next card I make with this cutting file.

You can't really tell in this photo but the snowflake is really pretty on top.  I wanted to show you that snowflake does indeed standup on top of the card. After cutting out my cardbase I used my eBrush and a silver metallic Sharpie to turn the snowflake silver. Then I used a glue  pad to get the snowflake sticky and used ultrafine crystal glitter. In my playing with the glue pad I've  discovered that fine and ultrafine glitter works the best.

I also used the eBrush and a gold Sharpie to do my frame. I am loving my eBrush.

LOL! While posting this I remembered that I bought recently at a thrift store a Crayola light box for a couple of dollars. Wow! It really made a difference laying the card down on it and taking a picture.

Yes, Virginia that is a paper towel. Opps! I forgot about the stamping showing through on the other side. Next time instead of a sentiment I'll just do snowflakes. Also I won't separate the paper towel. The pale blue background which I eBrushed the paper towel with doesn't really show up. However the stencil came out great using a darker marker. Originally I wanted to stamp with silver or gold ink but alas it did not show up so I ended up stamping with Tuxedo Black Memento ink. 

That is my experimenting for now. I hope over the weekend to get some outdoor decorations made. I have some ideas. First though I wanted to get this card done as I'm going to give it to the Postal Clerk who has been so helpful to me during the year. I have the rest of my cards ready to get in the mail and hopefully people will shovel the sidewalks so I can safely walk to the store to mail them.

Are you ready for the holidays? If you mail cards are they mailed or ready to be mailed?

Wishing you Happy Frugal Crafting till we meet again!